I 


THE  WOUNDED  PIONEER. 


HEROES 

AND 

HUNTERS  OF  THE  WEST: 

COMPRISING 

SKETCHES  AND  ADVENTURES 

OP 

BOONE,  KENTON,  BRADY,  LOGAN,  WHETZEL, 
FLEEHART,  HUGHES,  JOHNSTON,  &c. 


PHILADELPHIA  I 
H.  C.  PECK  &  THEO.  BLISS. 
1853. 


/ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1853, 

BY  H.  C.  PECK  &  THEO.  BLISS, 

in  the  Clerk's  Oflfice  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District 
of  Pennsylvania. 


CONTENTS. 

Daniel  Boone,   11 

Simon  Kenton,  •       .       ,  19 

George  Rogers  Clarke,   24 

Benjamin  Logan,         .     '   32 

Samuel  Brady,   38 

Lewis  Whetzel,  45 

Caffree,  M'Clure,  and  Davis,   58 

Charles  Johnston,  66 

Joseph  Logston,   74 

Jesse  Hughes,    81 

Siege  of  Fort  Henry,    87 

Simon  Girty,   103 

Joshua  Fleehart,   118 

Indian  Fight  on  the  Little  Muskingum,     .      .      .  129 

Escape  of  Return  J.  Meigs,   137 

Estill's  Defeat,   144 

A  Pioneer  Mother,   154 

The  Squatter's  Wife  and  Daughter,  ....  167 

Captain  William  Hubbell,   173 

Murder  of  Cornstalk  and  his  Son,     ....  185 

Massacre  jdf  Chicago,     .       *   189 

Desertion  of  a  young  White  Man  from  a  party  of  Indians,  219 

Morgan's  Triumph,   229 

Massacre  of  Wyoming,   233 

Heroic  Women  of  the  West,   243 

Indian  Stratagem  Foiled,    250 

Blackbird,   265 

A  Desperate  Adventure,    268 

Adventure  of  Two  Scouts,   276 

A  Young  Hero  of  the  West   299 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2013 


\ 


http://archive.org/details/heroeshuntersofw01duke 


PEEFACE. 

To  the  lovers  of  thrilling  adventure,  the  title  of  this 
work  would  alone  be  its  strongest  recommendation.  The 
exploits  of  the  Heroes  of  the  West,  need  but  a  simple 
narration  to  give  them  an  irresistible  charm.  They  dis- 
play the  bolder  and  rougher  features  of  human  nature  in 
their  noblest  light,  softened  and  directed  by  virtues  that 
have  appeared  in  the  really  heroic  deeds  of  every  age, 
and  form  pages  in  the  history  of  this  country  destined  to 
be  read  and  admired  when  much  that  is  now  deemed  more 
important  is  forgotten. 

It  is  true,  that,  with  the  lights  of  this  age,  we  regard 
many  of  the  deeds  of  our  western  pioneer  as  aggressive, 
barbarous,  and  unworthy  of  civilized  men.  But  there  is 
no  truly  noble  heart  that  will  not  swell  in  admiration  of 
the  devotion  and  disinterestedness  of  Benjamin  Logan,  the 
self-reliant  energy  of  Boone  and  Whetzel,  and  the  steady 
firmness  and  consummate  military  skill  of  George  Rogers 
Clarke.  The  people  of  this  country  need  records  of  the 
lives  of  such  men,  and  we  have  attempted  to  present  these 
in  an  attractive  form. 


(vii) 


CAPTUKE  OF  BOONE. 


4 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


N  all  notices 
of  border  life, 
the  name  of 
Daniel  Boone 
appears  first 
— as  the  hero  and  the 
father  of  the  west.  In 
him  were  united  those 
qualities  which  make 
the  accomplished  fron- 
tiersman— daring,  ac- 
tivity, and  circumspec- 
tion, while  he  was  fitted 
beyond  most  of  his  contemporary  borderers  to  lead  and 
command. 

Daniel  Boone  was  born  either  in  Virginia  or  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  at  an  early  age  settled  in  North  Carolina,  upon 
the  banks  of  the  Yadkin.    In  1767,  James  Findley,  the 

(11) 


12  HEB^ES  OF  THE  WEST. 

'i  ■ 

first  white  man  who  eWr  visited  Kentucky,  returned  to  the 
settlements  of  North  Carolina,  and^gave  such  a  glowing 
account  of  that  wilderness,  that  Boone  determined  to  ven- 
ture into  it,  on  a  hunting  expedition.  Accordingly,  in 
1769,  accompanied  by  Findley  and  four  others,  he  com- 
menced his  journey.  Kentucky  was  found  to  be  all  that 
the  first  adventurer  had  represented,  and  the  hunters  had 
fine  sport.  The  country  was  uninhabited,  but,  during  cer- 
tain seasons,  parties  of  the  northern  and  southern  Indians 
visited  it  upon  hunting  expeditions.  These  parties  fre- 
quently engaged  in  fierce  conflicts,  and  hence  the  beautiful 
region  was  known  as  the  "dark  and  bloody  ground." 

On  the  22d  of  December,  1769,  Boone  and  one  of  his 
companions,  named  John  Stuart,  left  their  encampment 
on  the  Red  river,  and  boldly  followed  a  bufi'alo  path  far 
into  the  forest.  While  roving  carelessly  from  canebrake 
to  canebrake,  they  were  suddenly  alarmed  by  the  appear- 
ance of  a  party  of  Indians,  who,  springing  from  their 
place  of  concealment,  rushed  upon  them  with  a  swiftness 
which  rendered  escape  impossible.  The  hunters  were 
seized,  disarmed,  and  made  prisoners.  Under  these  ter- 
rible circumstances,  Boone's  presence  of  mind  was  admi- 
rable. He  saw  that  there  was  no  chance  of  immediate 
escape  ;  but  he  encouraged  his  companion  and  constrained 
himself  to  follow  the  Indians  in  all  their  movements,  with 
so  constrained  an  air,  that  their  vigilance  began  to  relax. 

On  the  seventh  evening  of  the  captivity  of  the  hunter, 
the  party  encamped  in  a  thick  cane-break,  and  having 
built  a  large  fire  lay  down  to  rest.  About  midnight,  Boone, 
who  had  not  closed  his^eyes,  ascertained  from  the  deep 


DANIEL  BOONE. 


15 


DANIEL  BOONE. 


breathing  of  all  around  him,  that  the  whole  party,  including 
Stuart,  was  in  a  deep  sleep.  Gently  extricating  himself 
from  the  savages  who  lay  around  him,  he  awoke  Stuart, 
informed  him  of  his  determination  to  escape,  and  exhorted 
him  to  follow  without  noise,  gtuart  obeyed  with  quickness 
and  silence.  ^  Rapidly  moving  through  the  forest,  guided 
by  the  light  of  the  stars  and  the  barks  of  the  trees,  the 
hunters  reached  their  former  camp  the  next  day,  but  found 
it  plundered  and  deserted,  with  nothing  remaining  to  show 
the  fate  of  their  companions.  Soon  afterwards,  Stuart 
was  shot  and  scalped,  and  Boone  and  his  brother  who  had 
come  into  the  wilderness  from  North  Carolina,  were  left 
alone  in  the  forest.  Nay,  for  several  months,  Daniel  had 
not  a  single  companion,  for  his  brother  returned  to  North 


16 


HEROES  OP  THE  WEST. 


Carolina  for  ammunition.  The  hardy  hunter  was  exposed 
to  the  greatest  dangers,  but  he  contrived  to  escape  them  all. 
In  1771,  Boone  and  his  brother  returned  to  North  Carolina, 
and  Daniel,  having  sold  what  property  he  could  not  take 
with  him,  determined  to  take  his  family  to  Kentucky,  and 
make  a  settlement.  He  was  joined  by  others  at  "  Powel's 
Valley,"  and  commenced  the  journey,  at  the  head  of  a  con- 
siderable party  of  pioneers.  Being  attacked  by  the  In- 
dians, the  adventurers  were  compelled  to  return,  and  it 
was  not  until  1774,  that  the  indomitable  Boone  succeeded 
in  conveying  his  family  to  the  banks  of  the  Kentucky, 
and  founding  Boonesborough.  In  the  meantime,  James 
Harrod  had  settled  at  the  station  called  Harrodsburgh. 
Other  stations  were  founded  by  Bryant  and  Logan— dar- 
ing pioneers  ;  but  Boonesborough  was  the  chief  object  of 
Indian  hostility,  and  was  exposad  to  almost  incessant  at- 
tack, from  its  foundation  until  after  the  bloody  battle  of 
Blue  Licks.  During  this  time,  Daniel  Boone  was  regarded 
as  the  chief  support  and  counsellor  of  the  settlers,  and  in 
all  emergencies,  his  wisdom  and  valor  was  of  the  greatest 
service.  He  met  with  many 'adventures,  and  made  some 
hair-breadth  escapes,  but  survived  all  his  perils  and  hard- 
ships and  lived  to  a  green  old  age,  enjoying  the  respect 
and  confidence  of  a  large  and  happy  community,  which 
his  indomitable  spirit  had  been  chiefly  instrumental  in 
founding.  He  never  lost  his  love  of  the  woods  and  the 
chase,  and  within  a  few  weeks  of  his  death  might  have 
been  seen,  rifle  in  hand,  eager  in  the  pursuit  of  game. 


SIMON  KENTON. 


LOGAN. 


Simon  Kenton  was  born  in  Fauquier  county,  Virginia, 
on  the  15th  of  May,  1755.  His  parents  were  poor,  and 
until  the  age  of  sixteen  his  days  seem  to  have  been  passed 
in  the  laborious  drudgery  of  a  farm.    When  he  was  about 

(19) 


20 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


sixteen,  an  unfortunate  occurrence  threw  him  upon  his 
own  resources.  A  robust  young  farmer,  named  Leitch 
man,  and  he  were  rival  suitors  for  the  hand  of  a  young 
coquette,  and  she  being  unable  to  decide  between  them, 
they  took  the  matter  into  their  own  hands  and  fought  a 
regular  pitched  battle  at  a  solitary  spot  in  the  forest. 
After  a  severe  struggle,  Kenton  triumphed,  and  left  his 
antagonist  upon  the  ground,  apparently  in  the  agonies  of 
death.  Without  returning  for  a  suit  of  clothing,  the 
young  conqueror  fled  westward,  assumed  the  name  of 
Butler,  joined  a  party  of  daring  hunters,  and  visited 
Kentucky,  (1773.)  In  the  wilderness  he  became  an  ac- 
complished and  successful  hunter  and  spy,  but  suiffered 
many  hardships. 

In  1774,  the  Indian  war,  occasioned  by  the  murder  of 
the  family  of  the  chief,  Logan,  broke  out,  and  Kenton 
entered  the  service  of  the  Virginians  as  a  spy,  in  which 
capacity  he  acted  throughout  the  campaign,  ending  with 
the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant.  He  then  explored  the  coun- 
try on  both  sides  of  the  Ohio,  and  hunted  in  company 
with  a  few  other,  in  various  parts  of  Kentucky.  "When 
Boonesborough  was  attacked  by  a  large  body  of  Indians, 
Simon  took  an  active  part  in  the  defence,  and  in  several 
of  Boone's  expeditions,  our  hero  served  as  a  spy,  winning 
a  high  reputation. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1777,  Kenton,  having  crossed  the 
Ohio,  on  a  horse-catching  expedition,  was  overtaken  and 
made  captive  by  the  Indians.  Then  commenced  a  series 
of  tortures  to  which  the  annals  of  Indian  warfare,  so  deeply 
tinged  with  horrors,  afford  few  parallels.    Having  kicked 


SIMON  GIRTY. 


SIMON  KENTON.  *  23 

and  cuffed  him,  the  savages  tied  him  to  a  a  pole,  in  a 
very  painful  position,  where  they  kept  him  till  the  next 
morning,  then  tied  him  on  a  wild  colt  and  drove  it  swiftly 
through  the  woods  to  Chilicothe.  Here  he  was  tortured 
in  various  ways.  The  savages  then  carried  him  to  Picka- 
way, where  it  was  intended  to  burn  him  at  the  stake,  but 
from  this  awful  death,  he  was  saved  through  the  influence 
of  the  renegade,  Simon  Girty,  who  had  been  his  early 
friend.  Still,  Kenton  was  carried  about  from  village  to 
village,  and  tortured  many  times.  At  length,  he  was 
taken  to  Detroit,  an  English  post,  where  he  was  well- 
treated  ;  and  he  recovered  from  his  numerous  wounds.  In 
the  summer  of  1778,  he  succeeded  in  effecting  his  escape, 
and,  after  a  long  march,  reached  Kentucky. 

Kenton  was  engaged  in  all  the  Indian  expeditions  up 
to  Wayne's  decisive  campaign,  in  1794,  and  was  very 
serviceable  as  a  spy.  Few  borderers  had  passed  through 
so  many  hardships,  and  won  so  bright  a  reputation.  He 
lived  to  a  very  old  age,  and  saw  the  country,  in  which  he 
had  fought  and  suffered,  formed  into  the  busy  and  popu- 
lous state  of  Ohio.  In  his  latter  days,  he  was  very  poor, 
and,  but  for  the  kindness  of  some  distinguished  friends, 
would  have  wanted  for  the  necessaries  of  life. 


SeoS^cjc  ^{oge^3  6i^irl{e. 


In  natural  genius  for  military  command,  few  men  of 
the  west  have  equalled  George  Rogers  Clarke.  The  con- 
ception and  execution  of  the  famous  expedition  against 
Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes  displayed  many  of  those  quali- 
ties for  which  the  best  generals  of  the  world  have  been 
eulogized,  and  would  have  done  honor  to  a  Clive. 

Clarke  was  born  in  Albermarle  county,  Virginia,  in 
September,  1753.  Like  Washington,  he  engaged,  at  an 
early  age,  in  the  business  of  land  surveying,  and  was  fond 
of  several  branches  of  mathematics.  On  the  breaking  out 
of  Dunmore's  war,  Clarke  took  command  of  a  company, 
and  fought  bravely  at  the  battle  of  Point  Pleasant,  being 
(24\ 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 


GEOKGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 


27 


engaged  in  the  only  active  operation  of  the  right  wing  of 
the  Virginians  against  the  Indians.  Peace  was  concluded 
soon  after,  by  Lord  Dunmore,  and  Clarke,  whose  gallant 
bearing  had  been  noticed,  was  offered  a  commission  in  the 
royal  service.  But  this  he  refused,  as  he  apprehended 
that  his  native  country  would  soon  be  at  war  with  Great 
Britain. 

Early  in  1775,  Clarke  visited  Kentucky  as  the  favorite 
scene  of  adventure,  and  penetrated  to  Harrodsburgh.  His 
talents  were  immediately  apprecia^d  by  the  Kentuckians, 
and  he  was  placed  in  command  of  all  the  irregular  troops 
in  that  wild  region.  In  1776,  the  young  commander  ex- 
erted himself  with  extraordinary  ability  to  secure  a  politi- 
cal organization  and  the  means  of  defence  to  Kentucky, 
and  was  so  successful  as  to  win  the  title  of  the  founder  of 
the  commonwealth.^ 

In  partisan  service  against  the  Indians,  Clarke  was  active 
and  efficient ;  but  his  bold  and  comprehensive  mind  looked 
to  checking  savage  inroads  at  their  sources.  He  saw  at 
a  glance,  that  the  red  men  were  stimulated  to  outrages  by 
the  British  garrisons  of  Detroit,  Vincennes  and  Kaskaskia, 
and  was  satisfied  that  to  put  an  end  to  them,  those  posts 
must  be  captured.  Having  sent  two  spies  to  reconnoitre 
Kaskaskia  and  Vincennes,  and  gained  considerable  intelli- 
gence of  the  situation  of  the  enemy,  the  enterprising  com- 
mander sought  aid  from  the  government  of  Virginia  to 
enable  him  to  carry  out  his  designs.  After  some  delay, 
money,  supplies,  and  a  few  companies  of  troops  were  ob- 
tained.   Clarke  then  proceeded  to  Corn  Island,  opposite 

*  Butler. 


28 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


the  present  city  of  Louisville.  Here  the  objects  of  the 
expedition  were  disclosed.  Some  of  the  men  murmured, 
and  others  attempted  to  desert ;  but  the  energy  of  Colonel 
Clarke  secured  obedience  and  even  enthusiasm. 

The  little  band  soon  commenced  its  march  throui^rh  a 
"wild  and  difficulty  country,  and  on  the  4th  of  July,  1778, 
reached  a  spot  within  a  few  miles  of  the  town  of  Kaskas- 
kia.  Clarke  made  his  arrangements  for  a  surprise  with 
great  skill  and  soon  after  dark,  the  town  was  captured 
without  shedding  a  dro$)  of  blood.  The  inhabitants  were 
at  first  terror-stricken  and  expected  to  be  massacred,  but 
they  were  soon  convinced  of  their  mistake  by  the  bearing 
and  representations  of  the  Virginia  commander.  Cahokia 
was  captured  shortly  afterwards,  without  difficulty. 

Clarke's  situation  was  now  extremely  critical,  and  he 
duly  appreciated  the  fact.  Vincenn^s  was  still  in  front, 
so  garrisoned,  that  it  seemed  madness  to  attempt  its  cap- 
ture by  direct  attack.  But  a  bold  oflfensive  movement 
cqjild  alone  render  the  conquests  which  had  been  mad'e, 
permanent  and  advantageous.  A  French  priest,  named 
Gibault,  secured  the  favor  of  the  inhabitants  of  Vincennes 
for  the  American  interest,  and  the  Indians  of  the  neigh- 
borhood were  conciliated  by  the  able  management  of  Co- 
lonel Clarke,  who  knew  how  to  win  the  favor  of  the  men 
better  than  any  other  borderer ;  but  on  the  29th  of  Jan- 
uary, 1779,  intelligence  was  received  at  Kaskaskia,  where 
Clarke  was  then  posted,  that  Governor  Hamilton  had  taken 
possession  of  Vincennes,  and  meditated  the  re-capture  Of 
the  other  posts,  preparatory  to  assailing  the  whole  frontier, 
as  far  as  Fort  Pitt. 


\ 


GEORGE  ROGERS  CLARKE. 


31 


Clarke  determined  to  act  upon  the  offensive  imniediatcl  j, 
as  his  only  salvation.  Mounting  a  galley  with  two  four- 
pounders  and  four  swivels,  and  manning  it  with  forty- 
six  men,  he  dispatched  it  up  the  Wabash,  to  the  White 
River,  and  on  the  7th  of  February,  1779,  marched  from 
Kaskaskia  at  the  head  of  only  one  hundred  and  seventy 
men,  over  the  drowned  lands  of  the  Wabash,  against  the 
British  post.  The  march  of  Arnold  by  way  of  the  Ken- 
nebec to  Canada  can  alone  be  placed  as  a  parallel  with  th^' 
difficult  expedition.  The  indomitable  spirit  of  Clarke  sus 
tained  the  band  through  the  most  incredible  fatigues.  On 
the  28th  the  expedition  approached  the  town,  still  undis- 
covered. The  American  commander  then  issued  a  pro- 
clamation, intended  to  produce  an  impression  that  his  fOrce 
was  large  and  confident  of  success,  and  invested  the  fort. 
So  vigorously  was  the  siege  prosecuted  that  the  garrison 
was  reduced  to  straits,  and  Governor  Hamilton  compelled 
to  capitulate.  (24th  of  February,  1779.)  This  was  a 
brilliant  achievement  and  reflected  the  highest  honor  upon 
Colonel  Clarke  and  his  gallant  band.  Detroit  was  now  in 
full  view,  and  Clarke  was  confident  he  could  capture  it  if 
he  had  but  five  hundred  men ;  but  he  could  not  obtain 
that  number,  till  the  chances  of  success  were  annihilated, 
and  thus  his  glorious  expedition  terminated.  The  object 
of  the  enterprise,  however,  which  was  the  checking  of  In- 
dian depredations,  was  accomplished.  Clarke  afterwards 
engaged  in  other  military  enterprises  and  held  high  civil 
offices  in  Kentucky ;  but  at  the  capture  of  Vincennes  his 
fame  reached  its  greatest  brilliancy,  and  posterity  will  not 
willingly  let  it  die. 


0 


The  real  heroic  spirit,  which  delights  in  braving  the 
greatest  dangers  in  the  cause  of  humanity,  was  embodied 
in  Benjamin  Logan,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Kentucky, 
This  distinguished  borderer  was  born  in  Augusta  county, 
Virginia.  At  an  early  age  he  displayed  the  noble  im- 
pulses of  his  heart  ;i>  for  upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
when  the  laws  of  Virginia  allowed  him,  as  the  eldest  son, 
the  whole  property  of  the  intestate,  he  sold  the  farm  and 
distributed  the  money  among  his  brothers  and  sisters,  re- 
serving a  portion  for  his  mother.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one,  Logan  removed  to  the  banks  of  the  Holston,  where 
(32) 


« 


BENJAMIN  LOGAN.  35 

he  purchased  a  farm  and  married.  He  served  in  Dun- 
more's  war.  In  1775,  he  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  soon 
became  distinguished  among  the  hardy  frontiersmen  for 
firmness,  prudence,  and  humanity.  In  the  following  year 
he  returned  for  his  family,  and  brought  them  to  a  small 
settlement  called  Logan's  Fort,  not  far  from  Harrodsburgh. 

On  the  morning  of  the  20th  of  May,  1777,  the  women 
were  milking  the  cows  at  the  gate  of  the  little  fort,  and 
some  of  the  garrison  attending  them,  whert  a  party  of 
Indians  appeared  and  fired  at  them.  One  man  was  shot 
dead,  and  two  more  wounded,  one  of  them  mortally.  The 
whole  party  instantly  ran  into  the  fort,  and  closed  the 
gate.  The  enemy  quickly  showed  themselves  at  the  edge 
of  the  canebrake,  within  rifle-shot  of  the  gate,  and  seemed 
numerous  and  determined.  A  spectacle  was  now  pre- 
sented to  the  garrison  which  awakened  interest  and  com- 
passion. A  man,  named  Harrison,  had  been  severely 
wounded,  and  still  lay  near  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen. 
The  poor  fellow  strove  to  crawl  towards  the  fort,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  a  cluster  of  bushes,  which,  however, 
were  too  thin  to  shelter  his  person  from  the  enemy.  His 
wife  and  children  in  the  fort  were  in  deep  distress  at  his 
situation.  The  case  was  one  to  try  the  hearts  of  men. 
The  numbers  of  the  garrison  were  so  small,  that  it  was 
thought  folly  to  sacrifice  any  more  lives  in  striving  to 
save  one  seemingly  far  spent.  Logan  endeavored  to  per- 
suade some  of  the  men  to  accompany  him  in  a  sally ;  but 
the  danger  was  so  appalling  that  only  one  man,  John 
Martin,  could  be  induced  to  make  the  attempt.  The  gate 
was  opened,  and  the  two  sallied  forth,  Logan  leading  the 


36 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


way.  They  had  advanced  about  five  steps,  when  Harri- 
son  made  a  vigorous  attempt  to  rise,  and  Martin,  supposing 
him  able  to  help  himself,  sprang  back  within  the  gate. 
Harrison  fell  at  full-length  upon  the  grass.  Logan  paused 
a  moment  after  the  retreat  of  Martin,  then  sprang  for- 
ward to  the  spot  where  Harrison  lay,  seized  the  wounde(^ 
man  in  his  arms,  and  in  spite  of  a  tremendous  shower  of 
balls  poured  from  every  side,  reached  the  fort  without  re- 
ceiving a  scratch,  though  the  gate  and  picketing  near 
him  were  riddled  and  his  clothes  pierced  in  several  places. 

Soon  afterwards,  the  heroic  Logan  again  performed  an 
act  of  self-devotion.  The  fort  was  vigorously  assailed, 
and  although  the  little  garrison  made  a  brave  defence, 
their  destruction  seemed  imminent,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  ammunition.  Holston  was  the  nearest  point 
where  supplies  could  be  obtained.  But  who  would  brave 
so  many  dangers  in  the  attempt  to  procure  it  ?  No  one 
but  Logan.  After  encouraging  his  men  to  hope  for  hia 
speedy  return,  he  crawled  through  the  Indian  encampment 
on  a  dark  night,  proceeded  by  by-paths,  which  no  white 
man  had  then  trodden,  reached  Holston,  obtained  a  supply 
of  powder  and  lead,  returned  by  the  same  almost  inac- 
cessible paths,  and  got  safe  within  the  walls  of  the  fort. 
The  garrison  was  inspired  with  fresh  courage,  and  in  a 
few  days,  the  appearance  of  Colonel  Bowman,  with  a  body 
of  troops,  compelled  the  savages  to  retire. 

Logan  led  several  expeditions  into  the  Indian  country, 
and  won  a  high  renown  as  one  of  the  boldest  and  most 
successful  of  Kentucky's  heroes.  When  the  Indian  de- 
predations were,  in  a  great  measure,  checked,  he  devoted 


BENJAMIN  LOGAN. 


37 


himself  to  civil  affairs,  and  exerted  considerable  influence 
upon  the  politics  of  the  country.  Throughout  his  career, 
he  was  beloved  and  respected  as  a  fearless,  honest,  and 
intelligent  man. 


Captain  Samuel  Brady  was  the  Daniel  Boone  of 
Western  Pennsylvania.  As  brave  as  a  lion,  as  swift  as  a 
deer,  and  as  cautious  as  a  panther,  he  gave  the  Indians 
reason  to  tremble  at  the  mention  of  his  name.  As  the 
captain  of  the  rangers  he  was  the  favorite  of  General 
Brodhead,  the  commander  of  the  Pennsylvania  forces, 
and  regarded  by  the  frontier  inhabitants  as  their  eye 
and  arm. 

The  father  and  brother  of  Captain  Brady  being  killed 
by  the  Indians,  it  is  said  that  our  hero  vowed  to  revenge 
their  murder,  and  never  be  at  peace  with  the  Indians  of 
(38) 


SAMUEL  BRADY.  41 

any  tribe.  Many  instances  of  such  dreadful  vows,  made 
in  moments  of  bitter  anguish,  occur  in  the  history  of  our 
border,  and,  when  we  consider  the  circumstances,  we  can 
scarcely  wonder  at  the  number,  though,  as  Christians,  we 
should  condemn  such  bloody  resolutions. 

Many  of  Brady's  exploits  are  upon  record ;  and  they 
are  entitled  to  our  admiration  for  their  singular  daring 
and  ingenuity.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  is  known  in 
border  history  as  Brady's  Leap.  The  energetic  Brodhead, 
by  an  expedition  into  the  Indian  country,  had  delivered 
such  destructive  blows  that  the  savages  were  quieted  for 
a  time.  The  general  kept  spies  out,  however,  for  the 
purpose  of  guarding  against  sudden  attacks  on  the  settle- 
ments. One  of  the  scouting  parties,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Brady,  had  the  French  creek  country  assigned 
as  their  field  of  duty.  The  captain  reached  the  waters 
of  Slippery  Rock,  without  seeing  any  signs  of  Indians. 
Here,  however,  he  came  on  a  trail,  in  the  evening,  which 
he  followed  till  dark,  without  overtaking  the  enemy.  The 
next  morning  the  pursuit  was  renewed,  and  Brady  over- 
took the  Indians  while  they  were  at  their  morning  meal. 
Unfortunately,  another  party  of  savages  was  in  his  rear, 
and  when  he  fired  upon  those  in  front,  he  was  in  turn 
fired  upon  from  behind.  He  was  now  between  two  fires, 
and  greatly  outnumbered.  Two  of  his  men  fell,  his  toma- 
hawk was  shot  from  his  side,  and  the  enemy  shouted  for 
the  expected  triumph.  There  was  no  chance  of  successful 
defence  in  the  position  of  the  rangers,  and  they  were 
compelled  to  break  and  flee. 

Brady  ran  towards  the  creek.    The  Indians  pursued, 


42  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

certain  of  making  him  captive,  on  account  of  the  direc- 
tion he  had  taken.  To  increase  their  speed,  they  threw 
away  their  guns,  and  pressed  forward  with  raised  toma- 
hawk. Brady  saw  his  only  chance  of  escape,  which  was 
to  leap  the,  creek,  afterwards  ascertained  to  be  twenty- 
two  feet  wide  and  twenty  deep.  Determined  never  to  fall 
alive  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  he  made  a  mighty 
effort,  sprang  across  the  abyss  of  waters  and  stood  rifle  in 
hand  upon  the  opposite  bank.  As  quick  as  lightning,  he 
proceeded  to  load  his  rifle.  A  large  Indian,  who  had  been 
foremost  in  pursuit,  came  to  the  opposite  bank,  and  after 
magnanimously  doing  justice  to  the  captain  by  exclaiming 
"Blady  make  good  jump  !"  made  a^apid  retreat. 

Brady  next  went  to  the  place  appointed  as  a  rendezvous 
for  his  party,  and  finding  there  three  of  his  men,  commenced 
his  homeward  march,  about  half  defeated.  Three  Indians 
had  been  killed  while  at  their  breakfast.  The  savages  did 
not  return  that  season,  to  do  any  injury  to  the  whites,  and 
early  in  the  fall,  moved  off  to  join  the  British,  who  had  to 
keep  them  during  the  winter,  their  corn  having  been  de- 
stroyed by  General  Brodhead.  Brady  survived  all  his 
perils  and  hardships  and  lived  to  see  the  Indians  completely 
humbled  before  those  whites  on  whom  they  had  committed 
BO  many  outrages. 


MASSACRE  Or*MRS.  WHETZEL  AND  HER  CHILDREN. 


The  Whetzel  family  is  remembered  in  the  west  for  the 
courage,  resolution,  and  skill  in  border  warfare  displayed 
by  four  of  its  members.  Their  names  were  Martin,  Lewis, 
Jacob,  and  John.  Of  these,  Lewis  won  the  highest  re- 
nown, and  it  is  doubtful  whether  Boone,  Brady,  or  Kenton 
equaled  him  in  boldness  of  enterprise. 

In  the  hottest  part  of  the  Indian  w^r,  old  Mr.  Whetzel, 
who  was  a  German,  built  his  cabin  some  distance  from 
the  fort  at  Wheeling.  One  day,  during  the  absence  of 
the'two  oldest  sons,  Martin  and  John,  a  numerous  party 

(45) 


46 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


of  Indians  surrounded  the  house,  killed,  tomahawked  and 
scalped  old  Mr.  Whetzel,  his  wife,  and  the  small  children, 
and  carried  off  Lewis,  who  was  then  about  thirteen  years 
old,  and  Jacob  who  was  about  eleven.  Before  the  young 
captives  had  been  carried  far,  Lewis  contrived  their  escape. 
When  these  two  boys  grew  to  be  men,  they  took  a  solemn 
oath  never  to  make  peace  with  the  Indians  as  long  as  they 
had  strength  to  wield  a  tomahawk  or  sight  to  draw  a  bead, 
and  they  kept  their  oath. 

The  appearance  of  Lewis  Whetzel  was  enough  to  strike 
terror  into  common  men.  He  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches 
high,  having  broad  shoulders,  a  full  breast,  muscular  limbs, 
a  dark  skin,  somewhat  pitted  by  the  small  pox,  hair  which, 
when  combed  out,  reached  to  the  calves  of  his  legs,  and 
and  black  eyes,  whose  excited  and  vindictive  glance  would 
curdle  the  blood.  He  excelled  in  all  exercises  of  strength 
and  activity,  could  load  his  rifle  while  running  with  almost 
the  swiftness  of  a  deer,  and  was  so  habituated  to  constant 
action,  that  an  imprisonment  of  three  days,  as  ordered  by 
General  Harmar,  was  nearly  fatal  to  him.  He  had  the 
most  thorough  self-reliance  as  his  long,  solitary  and  peri- 
lous expeditions  into  the  Indian  country  prove. 

In  the  year  of  1782,  Lewis  Whetzel  went  with  Thomas 
Mills,  who  had  been  in  the  campaign,  to  get  a  horse, 
which  he  had  left  near  the  place  where  St.  Clairsville  now 
stands.  At  the  Indian  Spring,  two  miles  above  St.  Clairs- 
ville, on  the  Wheeling  road,  they  were  met  by  about  forty 
Indians,  who  were  in  pursuit  of  the  stragglers  from  the' 
campaign.  The  Indians  and  the  white  men  discovered 
each  other  about  the  same  time,    Lewis  fired  first,  and 


INDIAN  CHIEF. 


LEWIS  WHETZEL. 


49 


killed  an  Indian  ;  the  fire  from  the  Indians  wounded  Mr. 
Mills,  and  he  was  soon  overtaken  and  killed.  Four  of 
the  Indians  then  singled  out,  dropped  their  guns,  and 
pursued  Whetzel.  Whetzel  loaded  his  rifle  as  he  ran. 
After  running  about  half  a  mile,  one  of  the  Indians  hav- 
ing got  within  eight  or  ten  steps  of  him,  Whetzel  wheeled 
round  and  shot  him  down,  ran  on,  and  loaded  as  before. 
After  going  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  further,  a  se- 
cond Indian  came  so  close  to  him,  that  when  he  turned  to 
fire,  the  Indian  caught  the  muzzle  of  his  gun,  and  as  he 
expressed  it,  he  and  the  Indian  had  a  severe  wring  for  it ; 
he  succeeded,  however,  in  bringing  the  gun  to  the  Indian's 
breast,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot.  By  this  time,  he,  as 
well  as  the  Indians,  were  pretty  well  tired ;  the  pursuit 
was  continued  by  the  remaining  two  Indians.  Whetzel, 
as  before,  loaded  his  gun,  and  stopped  several  times  dur- 
ing the  chase.  When  he  did  so  the  Indians  treed  them- 
selves. After  going  something  more  than  a  mile,  Whet- 
zel took  advantage  of  a  little  open  piece  of  ground, 
over  which  the  Indians  were  passing,  a  short  distance  be- 
hind him,  to  make  a  suddeA  stop  for  the  purpose  of  shoot- 
ing the  foremost,  who  got  behind  a  little  sapling,  which 
was  too  small  to  cover  his  body.  Whetzel  shot,  and  broke 
his  thigh ;  the  wound,  in  the  issue,  proved  fatal.  The  last 
of  the  Indians  then  gave  a  little  yell,  and  said,  "No 
catch  dat  man — gun  always  loaded,"  and  gave  up  the 
chase ;  glad,  no  doubt,  to  get  off  with  his  life. 

Another  of  this  daring  warrior's  exploits  is  worthy  of 
a  place  beside  the  most  remarkable  achievements  of  indi- 
vidual valor.  In  the  year  178Tj  a  party  of  Indians  crossed 

4 


60 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


the  Ohio,  killed  a  family,  and  scalped  with  impunity.  This 
murder  spread  great  alarm  through  the  sparse  settlements 
and  revenge  was  not  only  resolved  upon,  but  a  handsome 
reward  was  offered  for  scalps.  Major  McMahan,  who  often 
led  the  borderers  in  their  hardy  expeditions,  soon  raised 
a  company  of  twenty  men,  among  whom  was  Lewis  Whet- 
zel.  They  crossed  the  Ohio  and  pursued  the  Indian  trail 
until  they  came  to  the  Muskingum  river.  There  the  spies 
discovered  a  large  party  of  Indians  encamped.  Major 
McMahan  fell  back  a  short  distance,  and  held  a  conference 
when  a  hasty  retreat  was  resolved  upon  as  the  most  pru- 
dent course,  Lewis  Whetzel  refused  to  take  part  in  the 
council,  or  join  in  the  retreat.  He  said  he  came  out  to 
hunt  Indians  ;  they  were  now  found  and  he  would  either 
lose  his  own  scalp  or  take  that  of  a  "red  skin."  All  ar- 
guments were  thrown  away  upon  this  iron-willed  man  ;  he 
never  submitted  to  the  advice  or  control  of  others.  His 
friends  were  compelled  to  leave  him  a  solitary  being  sur- 
rounded by  vigilant  enemies. 

As  soon  as  the  major's  party  had  retired  beyond  the 
reach  of  danger,  Whetzel  shouftfered  his  rifle,  and  marched 
off  into  a  different  part  of  the  country,  hoping  that  fortune 
would  place  a  lone  Indian  in  his  way.  He  prowled 
through  the  woods  like  a  panther,  eager  for  prey,  until 
the  next  evening,  when  he  discovered  a  smoke  curling  up 
among  the  bushes.  Creeping  softly  to  the  fire,  he  found 
two  blankets  and  a  small  copper  kettle,  and  concluded 
that  it  was  the  camp  of  two  Indians.  He  concealed  him- 
self in  the  thick  brush,  in  such  a  position  that  he  could 
see  the  motions  of  the  enemy.    About  sunset  the  two  In- 


I^EWIS  WHETZBL. 


53 


dians  came  in,  cooked  and  ate  their  supper,  and  then  sat 
by  the  fire  engaged  in  conversation.  About  nine  o'clock 
one  of  them  arose,  shouldered  his  rifle,  took  a  chunk  of 
fire  in  his  hand,  and  left  the  camp,  doubtless  in  search  of 
a  deer-lick.  The  absence  of  this  Indian  was  a  source  of 
vexation  and  disappointment  to  Whetzel,  who  had  been  so 
sure  of  his  prey.  He  waited  until  near  break  of  day,  and 
still  the  expected  one  did  not  return.  The  concealed 
warrior  could  delay  no  longer.  He  walked  cautiously  to 
'  the  camp,  found  his  victim  asleep,  and  drawing  a  knife- 
buried  it  in  the  red  man's  heart.  He  then  secured  the 
scalp,  and  set  ofi"  for  home,  where  he  arrived  only  one  day 
after  his  companions.  For  the  scalp,  he  claimed  and 
received  the  reward. 

Here  is  another  of  Lewis  Whetzel's  remarkable  ex- 
ploits. Returning  home  from  a  hunt,  north  of  the  Ohio, 
he  was  walking  along  in  that  reckless  manner,  which  is  a 
consequence  of  fatigue,  when  his  quick  eye  suddenly 
caught  sight  of  an  Indian  in  the  act  of  raising  his  gun  to 
fire.  Both  sprung  like  lightning  to  the  woodman's  forts, 
large  trees,  and  there  they  stood  for  an  hour,  each  afraid 
of  the  other.  This  quiet  mode  of  warfare  did  not  suit 
the  restless  Whetzel,  and  he  set  his  invention  to  work  to 
terminate  it.  Placing  his  bear-skin  cap  on  the  end  of 
his  ramrod,  he  protruded  it  slightly  and  cautiously  as  if 
he  was  putting  his  head  to  reconnoitre,  and  yet  was  hesi- 
tating in  the  venture.  The  simple  savage  was  completely 
deceived.  As  soon  as  he  saw  the  cap,  he  fired  and  it  fell. 
Whetzel  then  sprang  forward  to  the  astonished  red  man, 
and  with  a  shot  from  the  unerring  rifle  brought  him  to 


54 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


the  ground  quite  dead.  The  triumphant  ranger  then 
pursued  his  march  homeward. 

But  it  was  in  a  deliberate  attack  upon  a  party  of  four 
Indians  that  our  hero  displayed  the  climax  of  daring  and 
resolution.  While  on  a  fall  hunt,  on  the  Muskingum,  he 
came  upon  a  camp  of  four  savages,  and  with  but  little 
hesitation  resolved  to  attempt  their  destruction.  He  con- 
cealed himself  till  midnight,  and  then  stole  cautiously 
upon  the  sleepers.  As  quick  as  thought,"  he  cleft  the 
skull  of  one  of  them.  A  second  met  the  same  fate,  and 
as  a  third  attempted  to  rise,  confused  by  the  horrid  yells, 
which  Whetzel  gave  with  his  blows,  the  tomahawk  stretched 
him  in  death.  The  fourth  Indian  darted  into  the  dark- 
ness of  the  wood  and  escaped,  although  Whetzel  pursued 
him  for  some  distance.  Returning  to  camp,  the  ranger 
scalped  his  victims  and  then  left  for  home.  When  asked  on 
his  return,  "  What  luck  ?"  he  replied,  "  Not  much.  I  treed 
four  Indians,  and  one  got  away."  Where  shall  we  look  for 
deeds  of  equal  daring  and  hardihood  ?  Martin,'  Jacob, 
and  J ohn  Whetzel  were  bold  warriors ;  and  in  the  course 
of  the  Indian  war,  they  secured  many  scalps ;  but  they 
never  obtained  the  reputation  possessed  by  their  brother, 
Lewis.  All  must  condemn  cruelty  wherever  displayed, 
but  it  is  equally  our  duty  to  render  just  admiration  to 
courage,  daring,  and  indomitable  energy,  qualities  in  which 
the  Whetzel  brothers  have  rarely  if  ever  been  excelled. 

General  Clark,  the  companion  of  Lewis  in  the  celebrated 
tour  across  the  Rocky  Mountains,  having  heard  much  of 
Lewis  Whetzel,  in  Kentucky,  determined  to  secure  his 
services  for  the  exploring  expedition.    After  considerable 


LEWIS  WHETZEL'S  STRATAGEM. 


LEWIS  WHETZEL. 


57 


hesitation,  Whetzel  consented  to  go,  and  accompanied  the 
party  during  the  first  three  months'  travel,  but  then  de- 
clined going  any^further,  and  returned  home.  Shortly 
after  this,  he  left  again  on  a  flat-boat,  and  never  returned. 
He  visited  a  relation,  named  Sikes,  living  about  twenty 
miles  in  the  interior,  from  Natchez,  and  there  made  his 
home,  until  the  summer  of  1808,  when  he  died,  leaving  a 
fame  for  valor  and  skill  in  border  warfare,  which  will  not 
be  allowed  to  perish. 


About  1784,  horse-stealing  was  as  common  as  hunting 
to  the  whites  and  Indians  of  the  west.  Thefts  and  re- 
prisals were  almost  constantly  made.  Some  southern 
Indians  having  stolen  horses  from  Lincoln  county,  Ken- 
tucky, three  young  men,  named  CafFree,  M'Clure,  and 
Davis,  set  out  in  pursuit  of  them.  Coming  in  sight  of  an 
Indian  town,  near  the  Tennessee  river,  they  met  three 
(58) 


CAFFREE,  m'CLURE,  AND  DAVIS.  61 

red  men.  The  two  "parties  made  signs  of  peace,  shook 
hands,  and  agreed  to  travel  together.  Both  were  suspi- 
cious, however,  and  at  length,  from  various  indications, 
the  whites  became  satisfied  of  the  treacherous  intentions 
of  the  Indians,  and  resolved  to  anticipate  them.  Cafi'ree 
being  a  very  powerful  man,  proposed  that  he  himself 
should  seize  one  Indian,  while  Davis  and  M'Clure  should 
shoot  the  other  two.  Cafiree  sprang  boldly  upon  the 
nearest  Indian,  grasped  his  throat  firmly,  hurled  him  to 
the  ground,  and  drawing  a  cord  from  his  pocket  attempted 
to  tie  him.  At  the  same  instant,  Davis  and  M'Clure  at- 
tempted to  perform  their  respective  parts.  M'Clure 
killed  his  man,  but  Davis's  gun  missed  fire.  All  three, 
i.  e.  the  two  white  men,  and  the  Indian  at  whom  Davis 
had  flashed,  immediately  took  trees,  and  prepared  for  a 
skirmish,  while  Caffree  remained  upon  the  ground  with  the 
captured  Indian — both  exposed  to  the  fire  of  the  others. 
In  a  few  seconds,  the  savage  at  whom  Davis  had  flashed, 
shot  Caffree  as  he  lay  upon  the  ground  and  gave  him  a 
mortal  wound — and  was  instantly  shot  in  turn  by  M'Clure 
who  had  reloaded  his  gun.  Caffi-ee  becoming  very  weak, 
called  upon  Davis  to  come  and  assist  him  in  tying  the  In- 
dian, and  directly  afterwards  expired.  As  Davis  was 
running  up  to  the  assistance  of  his  friend — the  Indian  re- 
leased himself,  killed  his  captor,  sprung  to  his  feet, 
and  seizing  Caff'ree's  rifle,  presented  it  menacingly  at 
Davis,  whose  gun  was  not  in  order  for  service,  and  who 
ran  off"  into  the  forest,  closely  pursued  by  the  Indian. 
M'Clure  hastily  reloaded  his  gun  and  taking  the  rifle  which 
Davis  had  dropped,  followed  them  for  some  distance  into 


62 


HERbES  OF  THE  WEST. 


the  forest,  making  all  signals  which  had  been  concerted 
between  them  in  case  of  separation.  All,  however,  was 
vain — he  saw  nothing  more  of  Davis,  nor  could  he  ever 
afterwards  learn  his  fate.  As  he  nev^r  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky, however,  he  probably  perished. 

M'Clure,  finding  himself  alone  in  the  enemy's  country, 
and  surrounded  by  dead  bodies,  thought  it  prudent  to 
abandon  the  object  of  the  expeditio/i  and  return  to  Ken- 
tucky. He  accordingly  retraced  his  steps,  still  bearing 
Davis'  rifle  in  addition  to  his  own.  He  had  scarcely  marched 
a  mile,  before  he  saw  advancing  from  the  opposite  direc- 
tion, an  Indian  w^arrior,  riding  a  horse  with  a  bell  around 
its  neck,  and  accompanied  by  a  boy  on  foot.  Dropping 
one  of  the  rifles,  which  might  haxe  created  suspicion, 
M'Clure  advanced  with  an  air  of  confidence,  extending  his 
hand  and  making  other  signs  of  peace.  The  opposite  party 
appeared  frankly  to  receive  his  overtures,  and  dismounting, 
seated  himself  upon  a  log,  and  drawing  out  his  pipe,  gave 
a  few  puff's  himself,  and  then  handed  it  to  M'Clur<i.  In  a 
few  minutes  another  bell  was  heard,  at  the  distance  of 
half  a  mile,  and  a  second  party  of  Indians  appeared  upon 
horseback.  The  Indian  with  M'Clure  now  coolly  informed 
him  by  signs  that  when  the  horseman  arrived,  he  (M'Clure) 
was  to  be  bound  and  carried  off"  as  a  prisoner  with  his  feet 
tied  under  the  horse's  belly.  In  order  to  explain  it  more 
fully,  the  Indian  got  astride  of  the  log,  and  locked  his  legs 
together  underneath  it.  M'Clure,  internally  thanking  the 
fellow  for  his  excess  of  candor,  determined  to  disappoint 
'm,  and  while  his  enemy  was  busily  engaged  in  riding 
he  log,  and  mimicking  the  actions  of  a  prisoner,  he  very 


t 


♦ 

r 


CAFFREE  M'CLURE  AND  DAVIS.  65 

quietly  blew  his  brains  out,  and  ran  off  into  the  woods.  The 
Indian  boy  instantly  mounted  the  belled  horse,  and  rode 
off  in  an  opposite  direction.  M'Clure  was  fiercely  pursued 
by  several  small  Indian  dogs,  that  frequently  ran  between 
his  legs  and  threw  him  down.  After  falling  five  or  six 
times,  his  eyes  became  full  of  dust  and  he  was  totally  blind, 
Despairing  of  escape,  he  doggedly  lay  upon  his  face,  ex- 
pecting every  instant  to  feel  the  edge  of  the  tomahawk. 
To  his  astonishment,  however,  no  enemy  appeared,  and 
even  the  Indian  dogs  after  tugging  at  him  for  a  few  mi- 
nutes, and  completely  stripping  him  of  his  breeches,  left 
him  to  continue  his  journey  unmolested.  '  Finding  every 
thing  quiet,  in  a  few  moments  he  arose,  and  taking  up  his 
gun  continued  his  march  to  Kentucky. 

f 


In  March,  1790,  a  boat,  containing  four  men  and  two 
women,  passing  down  the  Ohio,  was  induced  by  some 
renegade  whites  to  approach  the  shore,  near  the  mouth 
of  the  Sciota,  and  then  attacked  by  a  large  party  of  In- 
dians. A  Mr.  John  May  and  one  of  the  women  were 
shot  dead,  and  the  others  then  surrendered.  The  chief 
of  the  band  was  an  old  warrior,  named  Chickatommo,  and  - 
(66) 


MESSHAWA. 


I 


CHARLES  JOHNSTON. 


69 


under  his  command  were  a  number  of  renowned  red  men. 
When  the  prisoners  were  distributed,  a  young  man  named 
Charles  Johnson,  was  given  to  a  young  Shawanee  chief 
who  is  represented  to  have  been  a  noble  character.  His 
name  was  Messhawa,  and  he  had  just  reached  the  age 
of  manhood.  His  person  was  tall  and  seemingly  rather 
fitted  for  action  than  strength.  His  bearing  was  stately, 
and  his  countenance  expressive  of  a  noble  disposition.  He 
possessed  great  influence  among  those  of  his  own  tribe, 
which  he  exerted  on  the  side  of  humanity.  On  the 
march,  Messhawa  repeatedly  saved  Johnson  from  the  tor- 
tures which  the  other  savdges  delighted  to  inflict,  and  the 
^young  captive  saw  some  displays  of  generous  exertion  on 
the  part  of  the  chief  which  are  worthy  df  a  place  in  border 
history.  * 

The  warriors  painted  themselves  in  the  most  frightful 
colors,  and  performed  a  war  dance,  with  the  usual  accom- 
paniments.  A  stake,  painted  in  alternate  stripes  of  black 
and  vermilion,  was  fixed  in  the  ground,  and  the  dancers 
moved  in  rapid  but  measured  evolutions  around  it.  They 
recounted,  with  great  energy,  the  wrongs  they  had  received 
from  the  whites. — Their  lands  had  been  taken  from  them— 
their  corn  cut  up — their  villages  burnt — their  friends 
slaughtered — every  injury  which  they  had  received  was 
dwelt  upon,  until  their  passions  had  become  inflamed  be- 
yond control.  Suddenly,  Chickatommo  darted  from  the 
circle  of  dancers,  and  with  eyes  flashing  fire,  ran  up  to 
the  spot  where  Johnston  was  sitting,  calmly  contemplating 
the  spectacle  before  him.  When  within  reach  he  struck 
him  a  furious  blow  with  his  fist,  and  was  preparing  to  re- 


70 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


peat  it,  when  Johnston  seized  him  by  the  arms,  and  has- 
tily demanded  the  cauee  of  such  unprovoked  violence. 
Chickatommo,  grinding  his  teeth  with  rage,  shouted 
"Sit  down,  sit  down!"  Johnston  obeyed,  and  the  In- 
dian, perceiving  the  two  children  within  ten  steps  of  him, 
snatched  up  a  tomahawk,  and  advanced  upon  them  with  a 
quick  step,  and  a  determined  look.  The  terrified  little 
creatures  instantly  arose  from  the  log  on  which  they  were 
sitting,  and  fled  into  the  woods,  uttering  the  most  piercing 
screams,  while  their  pursuer  rapidly  gained  upon  them 
with  uplifted  tomahawk.  The  girl,  being  the  youngest, 
was  soon  overtaken,  and  woul:!  nave  been  tomahawked, 
had  not  Messhawa  bounded  like  a  deer  to  her  relief.  He 
arrived  barely  in  time  to  arrest  the  uplifted  tomahawk 
of  Chickatommo,  after  which,  he  seized  him  by  the  collar 
and  hurled  him  violently  backward  to  the  distance  of 
several  paces.  Snatching  up  the  child  in  his  arms,  he 
then  ran  after  the  brother,  intending  to  secure  him  like- 
wise from  the  fury  of  his  companion,  but  the  boy,  miscon- 
struing his  intention,  continued  his  flight  with  such  ra- 
pidity, and  doubled  several  times  with  such  address,  that 
the  chase  was  prolonged  to  the  distance  of  several  hun- 
dred yards.  At  length  Messhawa  succeeded  in  taking 
f  him.    The  boy,  thinking  himself  lost,  uttered  a  wild  cry, 

which  was  echoed  by  his  sister,  but  both  were  instantly 
calmed.  Messhawa  took  them  in  his  arms,  spoke  to  them 
kindly,  and  soon  convinced  them  that  they  had  nothing 
to  fear  from  him.  He  quickly  reappeared,  leading  them 
gently  by  the  hand,  and  soothing  them  in  the  Indian  lan- 
guage, until  they  both  clung  to  him  closely  for  protection. 


I 


CHICKATOMMO. 


I 

f 


CHARLES  JOHNSTON. 


73 


No  other  incident  disturbed  the  progress  of  the  ceremo- 
nies, nor  did  Chickatommo  appear  to  resent  the  violent 
interference  of  Messhawa. 

After  undergoing  many  hardships,  Johnston  was  tak^n 
to  Sandusky,  where  he  was  ransomed  by  a  French  trader. 
Messhawa  took  leave  of  his  young  captive  with  many 
expressions  of  esteem  and  friendship.  This  noble  chief 
was  in  the  battle  of  the  Fallen  Timber  and  afterwards  be- 
came a  devoted  follower  of  the  great  Tecumseh — thus 
proving  that  while  he  was  as  humane  as  a  civilized  man, 
he  was  patriotic  and  high-spirited  enough  to  resent  the 
wrongs  of  his  people.  He  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames,  where  the  power  of  the  Shawanees  was  for  ever 
crushed. 


Big  Joe  Logston  was  a  noted  character  in  the  early- 
history  of  the  west.  He  was  born  and  reared  among  the 
Alleghany  mountains,  near  the  source  of  the  north  branch 
of  the  Potomac,  some  twenty  or  thirty  miles  from  any 
settlement.  He  was  tall,  muscular,  excelled  in  all  the 
athletic  sports  of  the  border,  and  was  a  first-rate  shot. 
Soon  after  Joe  arrived  at  years  of  discretion,  his  parents 
died,  and  he  went  out  to  the  wilds  of  Kentucky.  There 
(T4) 


INDIANS  AMBUSHED  FOR  JOE  LOGSTON. 


JOSEPH  LOGSTON. 


7T 


Indian  incursions  compelled  him  to  take  refuge  in  a  fort. 
This  pent  up  life  was  not  at  all  to  Joe's  taste.  He  soon 
became  very  restless,  and  every  day  insisted  on  going  out 
with  others  to  hunt  up  cattle.  At  length  no  one  would 
accompany  him,  and  he  resolved  to  go  out  alone.  He  rode 
the  greater  part  of  the  day  without  finding  any  cattle, 
and  then  concluded  to  return  to  the  fort.  As  he  was 
riding  along,  eating  some  grapes,  with  which  he  had  filled 
his  hat,  he  heard  the  reports  of  the  two  rifles ;  one  ball 
passed  through  the  paps  of  his  breast,  which  were  very 
prominent,  and  the  other  struck  the  horse  behind  the 
saddle,  causing  the  beast  to  sink  in  its  tracks. 

Joe  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant  and  might  have  taken 
to  his  heels  with  the  chances  of  escape  greatly  in  his  favor. 
But  to  him  flight  was  never  agreeable.  The  moment  the 
guns  were  fired,  an  Indian  sprang  forward  with  an  uplifted 
tomahawk ;  but  as  Joe  raised  his  rifle,  the  savage  jumped 
behind  two  saplings,  and  kept  springing  from  one  to  the 
other  to  cover  his  body.  The  other  Indian  was  soon  dis- 
covered behind  a  tree  loading  his  gun.  When  in  the  act 
of  pushing  down  his  bullet,  he  exposed  his  hips  and  Joe 
fired  a  load  into  him.  The  first  Indian  then  sprang  for- 
ward and  threw  his  tomahawk  at  the  head  of  the  white 
warrior,  who  dodged  it.  Joe  then  clubbed  his  gun  and 
made  at  the  savage,  thinking  to  knock  him  down.  In 
striking,  he  missed,  and  the  gun  now  reduced  to  the  naked 
barrel,  flew  out  of  his  hands.  The  two  men  then  sprang 
at  each  other  with  no  other  weapons  than  those  of  nature. 
A  desperate  scuflle  ensued.  Joe  could  throw  the  Indian 
down,  but  could  not  hold  him  there.    At  length,  however. 


78 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


by  repeated  heavy  blows,  he  succeeded  in  keeping  him 
down,  and  tried  to  choke  him  with  the  left  hand  while  he 
kept  the  right  free  for  contingencies.  Directly,  Joe  saw 
the  savage  trying  to  draw  a  knife  from  its  sheath,  and 
waiting  till  it  was  about  half  way  out,  he  grasped  it  quickly 
and  sank  it  up  to  the  handle  in  the  breast  of  his  foe,  who 
groaned  and  expired. 

Springing  to  his  feet,  Joe  saw  the  Indian  he  had  crippled, 
propped  against  a  log,  trying  to  raise  his  gun  to  fire,  but  ^ 
falling  forward,  every  time  he  made  the  attempt.  The 
borderer,  having  enough  of  fighting  for  one  day,  and  not 
caring  to  be  killed  by  a  crippled  Indian,  made  for  the  fort, 
where  he  arrived  about  nightfall.  He  was  blood  and  dirt 
from  crown  to  toe,  and  without  horse,  hat,  or  gun. 

The  next  morning  a  party  went  to  Joe's  battle-ground. 
On  looking  round,  they  found  a  trail,  as  if  something  had 
been  dragged  away,  and  at  a  little  distance  they  came 
upon  the  big  Indian,  covered  up  with  leaves.  About  a 
hundred  yards  farther,  they  found  the  Indian  Joe  had 
crippled,  lying  on  his  back,  with  his  own  knife  sticking  up 
to  the  hilt  in  his  body,  just  below  the  breast  bone,  evidently 
to  show  that  he  had  killed  himself.  Some  years  after  this 
fight,  'Big  Joe  Logston  lost  his  life  in  a  contest  with  a  gang 
of  outlaws.  He  was  one  of  those  characters  who  were  ne- 
cessary to  the  settlement  of  the  west,  but  who  would  not 
have  been  highly  esteemed  in  civilized  society. 


\ 


1 


Jesse  Hughks  was  bom  and  reared  in  Clarksburgli, 
Harrison  county,  Yirginia,  on  the  head-waters  of  the  Mo- 
nongahela.  He  was  a  light-built,  active  man,  and  from 
his  constant  practice  became  one  of  the  best  hunters  and 
Indian  fighters  on  the  frontier.  Having  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  all  the  artifices  of  the  Indians,  he  was  quick  to 
devise  expedients  to  frustrate  them.  Of  this,  the  following 
exploit  is  an  illustration.  At  a  time  of  great  danger 
from  Indian  incursions,  when  the  citizens  in  the  neigh* 
borhood  where  in  a  fort  at  Clarksburgh,  Hughes  one 
morning  observed  a  lad  very  hurriedly  engaged  in  fixing 
his  gun. 

a       -  (81) 


82 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


"Jim,'*  said  he,  "what  are  you  doing  that  for?" 

"  I  am  going  to  shoot  a  turkey  that  I  hear  gobbling  on 
the  hill  side,"  replied  Jim. 

"I  hear  no  turkey,"  said  Hughes. 

"Listen,"  said  Jim.  "There,  didn't  you  hear  it? 
'Listen  again !" 

"Well,"  said  Hughes,  after  hearing  it  repeated,  "I'll 
go  and  kill  it." 

"  No  you  won't.  It's  my  turkey.  I  heard  it  first," 
said  Jim. 

"Well,"  said  Hughes,  "but  you  know  I  am  the  best 
marksman ;  and  besides,  I  don't  want  the  turkey,  you 
may  have  it." 

I'he  lad  then  agreed  that  Hughes  should  go  and  kill  it 
for  him.  Hughes  went  out  of  the  fort  on  the  side  that 
was  farthest  from  the  supposed  turkey,  and  running  along 
the  river,  went  up  a  ravine  and  came  in  on  the  rear,  where, 
as  he  expected,  he  saw  an  Indian,  sitting  on  a  chestnut 
stump,  surrounded  by  sprouts,  gobbling  and  watching  to 
see  if  any  one  would  come  from  the  fort  to  kill  the  turkey. 
Hughes  crept  up  and  shot  him  dead.  The  successful 
ranger  then  took  off  the  scalp,  and  went  into  the  fort, 
where  Jim  was  waiting  for  the  prize. 

"  There,  now,"  said  Jim,  "you  have  let  the  turkey 
go.    I  would  have  killed  it  if  I  had  gone." 

"No,"  said  Hughes,  "I  didn't  let  it  go,"  and  he  threw 
Sown  the  scalp."  There,  take  your  turkey,  Jim ;  I  don't 
want  it." 

The  lad  nearly  fainted,  as  he  thought  of  the  death  he 


JESSE  HUGHES.  ♦ 


83 


had  so  narrowly  escaped,  owing  to  the  keen  perception 
and  good  management  of  Mr.  Hughes. 

The  sagacity  of  our  border  hero  was  fully  proved  upon 
another  occasion.  About  1790,  the  Indians  visited 
Clarksburgh,  in  the  night,  and  contrived  to  steal  a  few 
horses,  with  which  they  made  a  hasty  retreat.  About 
daylight  the  next  morning,  a  party  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
men,  among  whom  was  Jesse  Hughes,  started  in  pursuit. 
They  found  a  trail  just  outside  of  the  settlement,  and  from 
the  signs,  supposed  that  the  marauding  party  consisted 
of  eight  or  ten  Indians.  A  council  was  held  to  determine 
how  the  pursuit  should  be  continued.  Mr.  Hughes  was 
opposed  to  following  the  trail.  He  said  he  could  pilot  the 
party  to  the  spot  where  the  Indians  would  cross  the  Ohio, 
by  a  nearer  way  than  the  enemy  could  go,  and  thus  render 
success  certain.  But  the  captain  of  the  party  insisted  on 
following  the  trail.  Mr.  Hughes  then  pointed  out  the 
dangers  of  such  a  course.  Suddenly,  the  captain,  with 
unreasonable  obstinacy,  called  aloud  to  those  who  were 
brave  to  follow  him  and  let  th^  cowards  go  home.  Hughes 
knew  the  captain's  remark  was  intended  for  him,  but 
smothered  his  indignation  and  went  on  with  the  party. 

They  had  not  pursued  very  far  when  the  trail  went  down 
a  drain,  where  the  ridge  on  one  side  was  very  steep,  with 
a  ledge  of  rocks  for  a  considerable  distance.  On  the  top 
of  the  cliff,  two  Indians  lay  in  ambush,  and  when  the 
company  got  opposite  to  them,  they  made  a  noise,  which 
caused  the  whites  to  stop ;  that  instant  two  of  the  com- 
pany were  mortally  wounded,  and  before  the  rangers 
could  get  round  to  the  top  of  the  cliff,  the  Indians  made 


,84  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

their  escape  with  ease.  This  was  as  Hughes  had  pre- 
dicted. All  then  agreed  that  the  plan  rejected  by  the 
captain  was  the  best,  and  urged  Hughes  to  lead  them  to 
the  Ohio  river.  This  he  consented  to  do,  though  fear- 
ful that  the  Indians  would  cross  before  he  could  reach 
the  point.  Leaving  some  of  the  company  to  take  care 
of  the  wounded  men,  the  party  started,  and  arrived  at 
the  Ohio  the  next  day,  about  an  hour  after  the  Indians 
had  crossed.  The  water  was  yet  muddy  in  the  horses* 
trails,  and  the.  rafts  that  the  red  men  had  used  were 
floating  down  the  opposite  shore.  The  company  was 
now  unanimous  for  returning  home.  Hughes  said  he 
wanted  to  find  out  who  the  cowards  were.  He  said  that 
if  any  of  them  would  go  with  him,  he  would  cross  the 
river,  and  scalp  some  of  the  Indians.  Not  one  could  be 
found  to  accompany  the  daring  ranger,  who  thus  had  full 
satisfaction  for  the  captain's  insult.  He  said  he  would  go 
by  himself,  and  take  a  scalp,  or  leave  his  own  with  the 
savages.  The  company  started  for  home,  and  Hughes 
went  up  the  river  three  or  four  miles,  then  made  a  raft, 
crossed  the  river,  and  camped  for  the  night.  The  next 
day,  he  found  the  Indian  trail,  pursued  it  very  cautiously, 
and  a,bout  ten  miles  from  the  Ohio,  came  upon  the  camp. 
There  was  but  one  Indian  in  it ;  the  rest  were  all  out 
hunting.  The  red  man  was  seated,  singing,  and  playing 
on  some  bones,  made  into  a  rude  musical  instrument, 
when  Hughes  crept  up  and  shot  him.  The  ranger  then 
took  the  scalp,  and  hastened  home  in  triumph,  to  tell  his 
adventures  to  his  less  daring  companions. 


§iege  of  W  5fej)i*D. 

The  siege  of  Fort  Henry,  at  the  mouth  of  Wheeling 
creek,  in  the  year  1777,  is  one  of  the  most  memorable 
events  in  Indian  warfare — remarkable  for  the  indomitable 
bravery  displayed  by  the  garrison  in  general,  and  for 
some  thrilling  attendant  incidents.  The  fort  stood  imme- 
diately on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ohio  river,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  above  Wheeling  creek,  and  at  much  less  dis- 
tance from  an  eminence  which  rises  abruptly  from  the 
bottom  land.  The  space  inclosed  was  about  three  quarters 
of  an  acre.    In  shape  the  fort  was  a  parallelogram,  having 

(87) 


88 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


a  block-house  at  each  corner  with  lines  of  pickets  eight 
feet  high  between.  Within  the  inclosures  was  a  store-house, 
barrack-rooms,  garrison-well,  and  a  number  of  cabins  for 
the  use  of  families.  The  principal  entrance  was  a  gateway 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  fort.  Much  of  the  adjacent  land 
was  cleared  and  cultivated,  and  near  the  base  of  the  hill 
stood  some  twenty-five  or  tliirty  cabins,  which  form  the 
rude  beginning  of  the  present  city  of  Wheeling.  The  fort- 
is  said  to  have  been  planned  by  General  George  Rogers 
Clarke ;  and  was  constructed  by  Ebenezer  Zane  and  John 
Caldwell.  When  first  erected,  it  was  called  Fort  Fincastle 
but  the  name  was  afterwards  changed  in  compliment  to 
Patrick  Henry  the  renowned  orator  and  patriotic  governor 
of  Virginia. 

At  the  time  of  the  commencement  of  the  siege,  the  gar- 
rison of  Fort  Henry  numbered  only  forty-two  men,  some 
of  whom  were  enfeebled  by  age  while  others  were  mere  boys. 
All,  however,  were  excellent  marksmen,  and  most  of  them, 
skilled  in  border  warfare.  Colonel  David  Shepherd,  was  a 
brave  and  resolute  officer  in  whom  the  borderers  had  full  con- 
fidence. The  store-house  was  well-supplied  with  small  arms, 
particularly  muskets,  but  sadly  deficient  in  ammunition. 

In  the  early  part  of  September,  1777,  it  was  ascertained 
that  a  large  Inciian  army  was  concentrating  on  the  San- 
dusky river,  under  the  command  of  the  bold,  active,  and 
skilful  renegade,  Simon  Girty.  Colonel  Shepherd  had 
many  trusty  and  efficient  scouts  on  the  watch ;  but  Girty 
deceived  them  all  and  actually  brought  his  whole  force 
of  between  four  and  five  hundred  Indians  before  Fort 
Henry  before  his  real  object  was  discovefed. 


SIEGE  OF  FORT  HENRY. 


91 


On  the  26th,  an  alarm  being  given  all  the  inhabitants 
in  the  vicinity  repaired  to  the  fort  for  safety.  At  break 
of  day,  on  the  27th,  Colonel  Shepherd,  wishing  to  dispatch 
an  express  to  the  nearest  settlements  for  aid,  sent  a  white 
man  and  a  negro  to  bring  in  some  horses.  While  these 
men  were  passing  through  the  cornfield  south  of  the  fort, 
they  encountered  a  party  of  six  Indians,  one  of  whom 
raised  his  gun  and  brought  the  white  man  to  the  ground. 
The  negro  fled  and  reached  the  fort  without  receiving  any 
injury.  As  soon  as  he  related  his  story.  Colonel  Shepherd 
dispatched  Captain  Mason,  with  fourteen  men,  to  dislodge 
the  Indians  from  the  cornfield.  Mason  marched  almost  to  the 
creek  without  finding  any  Indians,  and  was  about  to  return, 
when  he  was  furiously  assailed  in  front,  flank  and  rear  by 
the  whole  of  Girty's  army.  Of  course,  the  little  band  was 
thrown  into  confusion,  but  the  brave  captain  rallied  his 
men,  and  taking  the  lead,  hewed  a  passage  through  the 
savage  host.  In  the  struggle,  more  than  half  of  the  party 
were  slain,  and  the  gallant  Mason  severely  wounded.  An 
Indian  fired  at  the  captain  at  the  distance  of  five  paces 
and  wounded,  but  did  not  disable  him.  Turning  about, 
he  hurled  his  gun,  felled  the  savage  to  the  earth,  and  then 
succeeded  in  hiding  himself  in  a  pile  of  fallen  timbers,  where 
he  was  compelled  to  remain  to  the  end  of  the  siege.  Only . 
two  of  his  men  survived  the  fight,  and  they  owed  their 
safety  to  the  heaps  of  logs  and  brush  which  abounded  in 
the  cornfield. 

.  As  soon  as  the  perilous  situation  of  Captain  Mason  be- 
came known  at  the  fort,  Captain  Ogle  was  sent  out  with 
twelve  men,  to  cover  his  retreat.    This  party  fell  into  an 


92 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


ambuscade  and  two-thirds  of  the  number  were  slain  upon 
the  spot.  Captain  Ogle  found  a  place  of  concealment, 
where  he  was  obliged  to  remain  until  the  end  of  the  siege. 
Sergeant  J acob  Ogle,  though  mortally  wounded,  managed 
to  escape,  with  two  soldiers  into  the  woods. 

The  Indian  army  now  advanced  to  the  assault,  with 
terrific  yells.  A  few  shots  from  the  garrison,  however, 
compelled  them  to  halt.  Girty  then  changed  the  order 
of  attack.  Parties  of  Indians  were  placed  in  such  of  the 
village-houses  as  commanded  a  view  of  the  block-houses. 
A  strong  party  occupied  the  yard  of  Ebenezer  Zane,  about 
fifty  yards  from  the  fort,  using  a  paling  fence  as  a  cover, 
while  the  main  force  was  posted  under  cover  on  the  edge 
of  a  cornfield  to  act  as  occasion  might  require. 

Girty  then  appeared  at  the  window  of  a  cabin,  with  a 
white  flag  in  his  hand,  and  demanded  the  surrender  of 
the  fort  in  the  name  of  his  Britanic  majesty.  At  this 
time,  the  garrison  numbered  only  twelve  men  and  two 
boys.  Yet  the  gallant  Colonel  Shepherd  promptly  re- 
plied to  the  summons,  that  the  fort  should  never  be  sur- 
rendered to  the  renegade.  Girty  renewed  his  proposition, 
but  before  he  could  finish  his  harangue,  a  thoughtless 
youth  fired  at  the  speaker  and  brought  the  conference  to 
an  abrupt  termination.  Girty  disappeared,  and  in  about 
fifteen  minutes,  the  Indians  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon  the 
fort,  and  continued  it  without  much  intermission  for  the 
space  of  six  hours.  The  fire  of  the  little  garrison,  how- 
ver,  was  much  more  destructive  than  that  of  the  assail- 
ants. About  one  o'clock,  the  Indians  ceased  firing  and 
fell  back  against  the  base  of  the  hill. 


I 


THE  ALARM  AT  FORT  HENRY. 


SIEGE  OF  FORT  HENRY. 


95 


The  colonel  resolved  to  take  advantage  of  the  inter- 
mission to  send  for  a  keg  of  powder,  which  was  known  to 
be  in  the  house  of  Ebenezer  Zane,  about  sixty  yards  from 
the  fort.  Several  young  men  promptly  volunteered  for 
this  dangerous  service ;  but  Shepherd  could  only  spare 
one,  and  the  young  men  could  not  determine  who  that 
should  be.  At  this  critical  moment,  a  young  lady,  sister 
of  Ebenezer  Zane,  came  forward,  and  asked  that  she 
might  be  permitted  to  execute  the  service ;  and  so  ear- 
nestly did  she  argue  for  the  proposition,  that  permission 
"was  reluctantly  granted.  The  gate  was  opened,  and  the 
heroic  girl  passed  out.  The  opening  of  the  gate  arrested 
the  attention  of  several  Indians  who  were  straggling 
through  the  village,  but  they  permitted  Miss  Zane  to  pass 
without  molestation.  When  she  reappeared  with  the 
powder  in  her  arms,  the  Indians,  suspecting  the  character 
of  her  burden,  fired  a  volley  at  her,  but  she  reached  the 
fort  in  safety.  Let  the  name  of  Elizabeth  Zane  be 
remembered  among  the  heroic  of  her  sex. 

About  half-past  two  o'clock,  the  savages  again  ad- 
vanced and  renewed  their  fire.  An  impetuous  attack  was 
made  upon  the  south  side  of  the  fort,  but  the  garrison 
poured  upon  the  assailants  a  destructive  fire  from  the  two 
lower  block-houses.  At  the  same  time,  a  party  of  eighteen 
or  twenty  Indians,  armed  with  rails  and  billets  of  wood, 
rushed  out  of  Zane's  yard  and  made  an  attempt  to  force 
open  the  gate  of  the  fort.  Five  or  six  of  the  number  were 
shot  down,  and  then  the  attempt  was  abandoned.  The 
Indians  then  opened  a  fire  upon  the  fort  from  all  sides, 
except  that  next  the  river,  which  afibrded  no  shelter  to 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


96 


besiegers.  On  the  north  and  east  the  battle  raged  fiercely. 
As  night  came  on  the  fire  of  the  enemy  slackened.  Soon 
after  dark,  a  party  of  savages  advanced  within  sixty  yards 
of  the  fort,  bringing  a  hollow  maple  log  which  they  had 
•  loaded  to  the  muzzle  and  intended  to  use  it  as  a  cannon. 
The  match  was  applied  and  the  wooden  piece  bursted, 
killing  or  wounding  several  of  those  who  stood  near  it. 
The  disappointed  party  then  dispersed. 

Late  in  the  evening,  Francis  Duke,  son-in-law  of  Colo- 
nel Shepherd,  arriving  from  the  Forks  of  Wheeling,  was 
shot  down  before  he  could  reach  the  fort.  About  four 
o'clock  next  morning.  Colonel  Swearingen,  with  fourteen 
men,  arrived  from  Cross  Creek,  and  was  fortunate  enough 
to  fight  his  way  into  the  fort  without  losing  a  single  man. 

This  reinforcement  was  cheering  to  the  wearied  gar- 
rison. More  relief  was  at  hand.  About  daybreak, 
Major  Samuel  M'Culloch,  with  forty  mounted  men  from 
Short  Creek,  arrived.  The  gate  was  thrown  open,  and 
the  men,  though  closely  beset  by  the  enemy,  entered  the 
fort.  But  Major  M'Culloch  was  riot  so  fortunate.  The 
Indians  crowded  round  and  separated  liim  from  the 
party.  After  several  ineffectual  attempts  to  force  his 
way  to  the  gate,  he  turned  and  galloped  off  in  the  direction 
of  Wheeling  Hill. 

When  he  was  hemmed  in  by  the  Indians  before  the  fort, 
they  might  have  taken  his  life  v/ithout  difficulty,  but  they 
had  weighty  reasons  for  desiring  to  take  him  alive.  From 
the  very  commencement  of  the  war,  his  reputation  as  an 
Indian  hunter  was  as  great  as  that  of  any  white  man  on 
the  north-western  border.    He  had  participated  in  so 


DARING  FEAT  OF  ELIZABETH  ZANE. 


7 


I 


SIEGE  OF  FORT  HENRY. 


99 


many  rencontres  that  almost  every  warrior  possessed  a 
knowledge  of  his  person.  Among  the  Indians  his  name 
was  a  word  of  terror ;  they  cherished  against  him  feelings 
of  the  most  phrenzied  hatred,  and  there  was  not  a  Mingo 
or  Wyandotte  chief  before  Fort  Henry  who  would  not  have 
given  the  lives  of  twenty  of  his  warriors  to  secure  to  him- 
self the  living  body  of  Major  M'Culloch,  When,  there- 
fore, the  man  whom  they  had  long  marked  out  as  the  first 
object  of  their  vengeance,  appeared  in  their  midst,  they 
made  almost  superhuman  efforts  to  acquire  possession  of 
his  person.  The  fleetness  of  M'CoUoch's  well-trained  steed 
was  scarcely  greater  than  that  of  his  enemies,  who,  with 
flying  strides,  moved  on  in  pursuit.  At  length  the  hunter 
reached  the  top  of  the  hill,  and,  turning  to  the  left,  darted 
along  the  ridge  with  the  intention  of  making  the  best  of 
his  way  to  Short  creek.  A  ride  of  a  few  hundred  yards 
in  that  direction  brought  him  suddenly  in  contact  with  a 
party  of  Indians  who  were  returning  to  their  camp  from  a 
marauding  excursion  to  Mason's  Bottom,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  hill.  This  party  being  too  formidable  in  num- 
bers to  encounter  single-handed,  the  major  turned  his  horse 
about  and  rode  over  his  own  track,  in  the  hope  of  discovering 
some  other  avenue  to  escape.  A  few  paces  only  of  his 
countermarch  had  been  made,  when  he  found  himself  con- 
fronted by  his  original  pursuers,  who  had,  by  this  time, 
gained  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  a  third  party  was  dis- 
covered pressing  up  the  hill  directly  on  his  right.  He  was 
now  completely  hemmed  in  on  three  sides,  and  the  fourth 
was  almost  a  perpendicular  precipice  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  descent,  with  Wheeling  creek  at  its  base.  The 


100 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


imminence  of  his  danger  allowed  him  but  little  time  to 
reflect  upon  his  situation.  In  an  instant  he  decided  upon 
his  course.  Supporting  his  Tifle  in  his  left  hand  and  care- 
/ully  adjusting  his  reins  with  the  other,  he  urged  his  horse 
to  the  brink  of  the  blufi",  and  then  made  the  leap  which  de- 
cided his  fate.  In  the  next  moment  the  noble  steedj  still 
bearing  his  intrepid  rider  in  safety,  was  at  the  foot  of  the 
precipice.  M'Colloch  immediately  dashed  across  the  creek, 
and  was  soon  beyond  reach  of  the  Indians. 

After  the  escape  of  the  major,  the  Indians  concentrated 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  soon  after  set  fire  to  all  the 
houses  and  fences  outside  of  the  fort,  and  killed  about  three 
hundred  cattle.    They  then  raised  the  siege  and  retired. 

The  whole  loss  sustained  by  the  whites  during  this  re- 
markable siege,  was  twenty-six  men  killed  and  four  or  five 
wounded.  The  loss  of  the  enemy  was  from  sixty  to  one 
hundred  men.  As  they  removed  their  dead,  exact  infor- 
mation on  the  subject  could  not  be  obtained. 

The  gallant  Colonel  Shepherd  deserved  the  thanks  of 
the  frontier  settlers  for  his  conduct  on  this  occasion,  and 
Governor  Henry  appointed  him  county  lieutenant  as  a 
token  of  his  esteem.  A  number  of  females,  who  were  in 
the  fort,  undismayed  by  the  dreadful  strife,  employed 
themselves  in  running  bullets  and  performing  various  little 
services ;  and  thus  excited  much  enthusiasm  among  the 
men.  Perhaps,  a  more  heroic  band  was  never  gathered 
together  in  garrison  than  that  which  defended  Fort  Henry, 
and  it  would  be  unjust  to  mention  any  one  as  particularly 
distinguished.  We  have  named  the  commander  only  be- 
cause of  his  position. 


TREMENDOUS  LEAP  OF  MAJOR  M'COLLOCH. 

V 


During  the  long  warfare  maintained  between  the  pio- 
neers of  the  west  and  the  Indians,  the  latter  were  greatly 
assisted  by  some  renegade  white  men.  Of  these,  Simon 
Girty  was  the  most  noted  and  influential.  He  led  several 
important  expeditions  against  the  settlements  of  Virginia 
and  Kentucky,  displayed  much  courage,  energy,  and  con- 
duct, and  was  the  object  of  bitter  hatred  on  the  frontier. 
Recent  investigations  into  the  stirring  events  of  his  career 
have  shown  that  however  bad  he  might  have  been,  much 
injustice  has  been  done  his  memory  by  border  historians. 
Simon  Girty  was  born  and  reared  in  Western  Pennsyl- 

(103) 


104 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


vania,  near  the  Virginia  line.  His  parents  are  said  to 
have  been  very  dissipated,  and  this,  perhaps,  had  some 
influence  in  disgusting  him  with  life  in  the  settlements. 
Becoming  skilled  in  woodcraft,  he  served  with  young 
Simon  Kenton,  as  a  scout  upon  the  frontiers.  He  joined 
the  Virginia  army  in  Dunmore's  wars,  and,  it  is  said, 
showed  considerable  ambition  to  become  distinguished  as 
a  soldier.  He  was  disappointed,  and  so  far  from  gaining 
promotion,  was,  for  a  trifling  off"ence,  publicly  disgraced, 
it  is  said,  through  the  influence  of  Colonel  Gibson.  The 
proud  spirit  of  Grirty  could  not  brook  such  a  blow.  With 
a  burning  thirst  for  revenge,  he  fled  from  the  settlements, 
and  took  refuge  among  the  Wyandottes. 

The  talents  of  the  renegade  were  of  the  kind  and  of  the 
degree  to  secure  influence  among  the  red  men.  He  ex-  - 
celled  the  majority  of  them  in  council  and  field,  and  nei- 
ther forgave  a  foe,  nor  forgot  a  friend.  He  was  successful 
in  many  expeditions  after  plunder  and  scalps,  and  spared 
none  because  they  were  of  his  own  race.  He  was  cruel 
as  many  of  the  borderers  were  cruel.  Becoming  an  In- 
dian, he  had  an  Indian's  hatred  of  the  whites.  The  bor- 
derers seldom  showed  a  red  man  mercy,  and  they  could 
not  expect  any  better  treatment  in  return. 

The  exertions  of  Girty  to  save  his  friend,  Simon  Kenton, 
from  a  horrible  death,  have  been  noticed  in  another  place. 
That  he  did  not  make  such  exertions  more  frequently  on 
the  side  of  humanity  is  scarcely  a  matter  of  wonder — 
inasmuch  as  he  could  not  have  done  so  consistently  with 
a  due  regard  to  his  own  safety.  After  he  had  become  a 
renegade,  the  borderers  would  not  permit  a  return ;  and 


COLONEL  CRAWFORD  AND  HIS  FRIENDS,  PRISONERS. 


SIMON  GIRTY. 


107 


aa  he  was  forced  to  reside  among  the  Indians,  he  was 
right  in  securing  their  favor.  Besides  saving  Kenton,  he 
posted  his  brother,  James  Girty,  upon  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio,  to  warn  passengers  in  boats  not  to  be  lured  to  the 
shore  by  the  arts  of  the  Indians,  or  of  the  white  men  in 
their  service.  This  was  a  pure  act  of  humanity.  The 
conduct  of  Girty  on  another  memorable  occasion,  the 
burning  of  Colonel  William  Crawford,  was  more  suspicious. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1782,  the  incursions  of 
the  Indians  became  so  harassing  and  destructive  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  that  an  expedition 
against  the  Wyandotte  towns  was  concerted,  and  the  com- 
mand given  to  Colonel  Crawford.  On  the  22d  of  May, 
the  army,  consisting  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  men,  com- 
menced its  march,  and  proceeded  due  west  as  far  as  the 
Moravian  towns,  where  some  of  the  volunteers  deserted. 
The  main  body,  however,  marched  on,  with  unabated 
spirit.  The  Indians,  discovering  the  advance  of  the  in- 
vaders gathered  a  considerable  force,  and  took  up  a  strong 
position,  determined  to  fight.  Crawford  moved  forward 
in  order  of  battle,  and  on  the  afternoon  of  the  6th  of  June, 
encountered  the  enemy.  The  conflict  continued  fiercely 
until  night,  when  the  Indians  drew  off,  and  Cra^ord's 
men  slept  on  the  field.  In  the  morning,  the  battle  was 
renewed,  T)ut  at  a  greater  distance,  and,  during  the  day, 
neither  party  suffered  much.  The  delay,  however,  was 
fatal  to  Crawford;  for  the  Indians  received  large  rein- 
forcements. As  soon  as  it  was  dark,  a  council  of  war 
was  held,  and  it  was  resolved  to  retreat  as  rapidly  as 
possible.  By  nine  o'clock,  all  the  necessary  arrangements 


108 


EROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


had  been  made,  and  the  retreat  began  in  good  order. 
After  an  advance  of  about  a  hundred  yards,  a  firing  was 
heard  in  the  rear,  and  the  troops,  seized  with  a  panic, 
broke  and  fled  in  confusion,  each  man  trying  to  save  him- 
self. The  Indians  came  on  rapidly  in  pursuit  and  plied 
the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  without  mercy.  Colonel 
Crawford  and  Dr.  Knight  were  captured,  at  a  distance 
from  the  main  body — which  was  soon  dispersed  in  every 
direction. 

On  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  June,  Crawford',  Knight, 
and  nine  other  prisoners,  were  conducted  to  the  old  town 
of  Sandusky.  The  main  body  of  the  Indians  halted  within 
eight  miles  of  the  village ;  but  as  Colonel  Crawford  ex- 
pressed great  anxiety  to  speak  with  Simon  Girty,  who  was 
then  at  Sandusky,  he  was  permitted  to  go  under  the  care 
of  the  Indians.  On  the  morning  of  the  11th  of  June,  the 
colonel  was  brought  back  from  Sandusky  on  purpose  to 
march  into  town  with  the  other  prisoners.  To  Knight's 
inquiry  as  to  whether  he  had  seen  Girty,  he  replied  in  the 
affirmative,  and  added,  that  the  renegade  had  promised  to 
use  his  influence  for  the  safety  of  the  prisoners,  though  as 
the  Indians  were  much  exasperated  by  the  recent  outrages 
of  the  flvhites  at  Guadenhutten  upon  the  unresisting  Mo- 
ravian red  men,  he  was  fearful  that  all  pleading  would  be 
in  vain. 

Soon  afterwards.  Captain  Pipe,  the  great  chief  of  the 
Delawares,  appeared.  This  distinguished  warrior  had  a 
prepossessing  appearance  and  bland  manners,  and  his 
language  to  the  prisoners  was  kind.  His  purposes,  how- 
ever, were  bloody  and  revengeful.    With  his  own  hands 


AN  INDIAN  CHIEF. 


SIMON  QIRTY 


111 


he  painted  every  prisoner  black !  As  they  were  conducted 
towards  the  town,  the  captives  observed  the  bodies  of  four 
of  their  friends,  tomahawked  and  scalped.  This  was  re- 
garded as  a  sad  presage.  In  a  short  time,  they  overtook 
the  five  prisoners  who  remained  alive.  They  were  seated 
on  the  ground,  and  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  Indian 
squaws  and  boys,  who  taunted  and  menaced  them.  Craw- 
ford and  Knight  were  compelled  to  sit  down  apart  from 
the  rest,  and  immediately  afterwards  the  doctor  was  given 
to  a  Shawnee  warrior,  to  be  conducted  to  their  town.  The 
boys  and  squaws  then  fell  upon  the  other  prisoners,  and 
tomahawked  them  in  a  moment.  Crawford  was  then 
driven  towards  the  village,  Girty  accompanying  the  party 
on  horseback. 

Presently,  a  large  fire  was  seen,  around  which  were  more 
than  thirty  warriors,  and  about  double  that  number  of 
boys  and  squaws.  As  soon  as  the  colonel  arrived,  he  was 
stripped  naked,  and  compelled  to  sit  on  the  ground.  The 
squaws  and  boys  then  fell  upon  him,  and  beat  him  severely 
with  their  fists  and  sticks.  In  a  few  minutes,  a  large 
stake  was  fixed  in  the  ground,  and  piles  of  hickory  poles 
were  spread  around  it. 

Colonel  Crawford's  hands  were  then  tied  behind  his 
back ;  a  strong  rope  was  produced,  one  end  of  which  was 
fastened  to  the  ligature  between  his  wrists,  and  the  other 
tied  to  the  bottom  of  the  stake.  The  rope  was  long  enough 
to  permit  him  to  walk  round  the  stake  several  times  and 
then  return.  Fire  was  then  applied  to  the  hickory  poles, 
which  lay  in  piles  at  the  distance  of  six  or  seven  yards 
from  the  stake. 


112 


HEROES  OP  THE  WEST. 


The  colonel  observing  these  terrible  preparations,  called 
to  Girty,  who  sat  on  horseback,  at  the  distance  of  a  few 
yards  from  the  fire,  and  asked  if  the  Indians  were  going 
to  burn  him.  Girty  replied  in  the  affirmative.  The  colo- 
nel heard  the  intelligence  with  firmness,  merely  observing 
that  he  would  bear  it  with  fortitude.  When  the  hickory 
poles  had  been  burnt  asunder  in  the  middle.  Captain  Pipe 
arose  and  addressed  the  crowd,  in  a  tone  of  great  energy, 
and  with  animated  gestures,  pointing  frequently  to  the 
colonel,  who  regarded  him  with  an  appearance  of  unruffled 
composure.  As  soon  as  he  had  ended,  a  loud  whoop  burst 
from  the  assembled  ^  throng,  and  they  all  rushed  at  once 
upon  the  unfortunate  Crawford.  For  several  seconds,  the 
crowd  was  so  great  around  him,  that  Knight  could  not  see 
what  they  were  doing ;  but  in  a  short  time,  they  had  dis- 
persed sufficiently  to  give  him  a  view  of  the  colonel. 

His  ears  had  been  cut  ofi*,  and  the  blood  was  streaming 
down  each  side  of  his  face.  A  terrible  scene  of  torture 
now  commenced.  The  warriors  shot  charges  of  powder 
into  his  naked  body,  commencing  with  the  calves  of  his 
legs,  and  continuing  to  his  neck.  The  boys  snatched  the 
burning  hickory  poles  and  applied  them  to  his  flesh.  As 
fast  as  he  ran  around  the  stake,  to  avoid  one  party  of  tor- 
mentors, he  was  promptly  met  at  every  turn  by  others, 
with  burning  poles,  red  hot  irons,  and  rifles  loaded  with 
powder  only  ;  so  that  in  a  few  minutes  nearly  one  hundred 
charges  of  powder  had  been  shot  into  his  body,  which  had 
become  black  and  blistered  in  a  dreadful  manner.  The 
^uaws  would  take  up  a  quantity  of  coals  and  hot  ashes, 


,.   _  I 


SIMON  GIRTY. 


115 


and  throw  them  upon  his  body,  so  that  in  a  few  minutes 
he  had  nothing  but  fire  to  walk  upon. 

In  the  extremity  of  his  agony,  the  unhappy  colonel  called 
aloud  upon  Girty,  in  tones  which  rang  through  Knight's 
brain  with  maddening  effect :  "  Girty  !  Girty  !!  shoot  me 
through  the  heart !!  Quick !  quick !!  Do  not  refuse  me  !!'* 
"  Don't  you  see  I  have  no  gun,  colonel !!"  replied  the  rene- 
gade, bursting  into  a  loud  laugh,  and  then  turning  to  an 
Indian  beside  him,  he  uttered  some  brutal  jests  upon  the 
naked  and  miserable  appearance  of  the  prisoner.  While 
this  awful  scene  was  being  acted,  Girty  rode  up  to  the  spot 
where  Dr.  Knight  stood,  and  told  him  that  he  had  now  had 
a  foretaste  of  what  was  in  reserve  for  him  at  the  Shawnee 
towns.  He  swore  that  he  need  not  expect  to  escape  death, 
but  should  suffer  it  in  all  the  extremity  of  torture. 

Knight,  whose  mind  was  deeply  agitated  at  the  sight 
of  the  fearful  scene  before  him,  took  no  notice  of  Girty, 
but  preserved  an  impenetrable  silence.  Girty,  after  con- 
,templating  the  colonel's  sufferings  for  a  few  moments, 
turned  again  to  Knight,  and  indulged  in  a  bitter  invective 
against  a  certain  Colonel  Gibson,  from  whom,  he  said,  he 
had  received  deep  injury ;  and  dwelt  upon  the  delight  with 
which  he  would  see  him  undergo  such  tortures  as  those 
which  Crawford  was  then  suffering.  He  observed,  in  a 
taunting  tone,  that  most  of  the  prisoners  had  said,  that 
the  white  people  would  not  injure  him,  if  the  chance  of 
war  was  to  throw  him  into  their  power ;  but  that  for  his 
own  part,  he  should  be  loath  to  try  the  experiment.  "  I 
think,  (added  he  with  a  laugh,)  that  they  would  roast  me 
alive,  with  more  pleasure  than  those  red  fellows  are  now 


116 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


broiling  the  colonel !  What  is  your  opinion,  doctor  ?  Do  you 
think  they  would  be  glad  to  see  me  ?"  Still  Knight  made 
no  answer,  and  in  a  few  minutes  Girty  rejoined  the  Indians. 

The  terrible  scene  had  now  Jasted  more  than  two  hours, 
and  Crawford  had  become  much  exhausted.  He  walked 
slowly  around  the  stake,  spoke  in  a  low  tone,  and  earnestly 
besought  God  to  look  with  compassion  upon  him,  and  pardon 
his  sins.  His  nerves  had  lost  much  of  their  sensibility,  and 
he  no  longer  shrunk  from  the  firebrands  with  which  they 
incessantly  touched  him.  At  length  he  sunk  in  a  fainting 
fit  upon  his  face,  and  lay  motionless.  Instantly  an  Indian 
sprung  upon  his  back,  knelt  lightly  upon  one  knee,  made 
a  circular  incision  with  his  knife  upon  the  crown  of  his 
head,  and  clapping  the  knife  between  his  teeth,  tore  the 
scalp  off  with  both  hands.  Scarcely  had  this  been  done, 
when  a  withered  hag  approached  with  a  board  full  of 
burning  embers,  and  poured  them  upon  the  crown  of  his 
head,  now  laid  bare  to  the  bone.  The  colonel  groaned 
deeply,  arose,  and  again  walked  slowly  around  the  stake ! 
But  why  continue  a  description  so  horrible  ?  Nature  at 
length  could  endure  no  more,  and  at  a  late  hour  in  the 
night,  he  was  released  by  death  from  the  hands  of  his 
tormentors.* 

Whether  Girty  really  took  pleasure  in  the  torture  of 
Colonel  Crawford,  or  was  forced  by  circumstances  to  seem 
to  enjoy  it  is  a  question  which  historians  have  generally 
been  in  too  much  haste  to  determine.  It  is  well  known 
that  at  the  time  of  Crawford's  expedition  the  Indians 
were  very  much  exasperated  by  the  cold-blooded  slaughter 

*  M'Clung. 


SIMON  GIRTY. 


117 


of  the  Moravian  red  men  at  Guadenhutten^an  atrocity 
without  a  parallel  in  border  warfare,  and  to  have  seemed 
merciful  to  the  whites  for  a  single  moment  would  have  been 
fatal  to  Girty.  Indeed,  it  is  said,  that,  when  he  spoke  of 
ransoming  the  colonel.  Captain  Pipe  threatened  him  with 
death  at  the  stake.  Let  justice  be  rendered  even  to  the 
worst  of  criminals. 

Dr.  Knight,  made  bold  or  desperate  by  the  torture  he 
had  witnessed,  effected  his  escape  from  the  Shawnee  war- 
rior to  whose  care  he  was  committed,  and  after  much  suf- 
fering, reached  the  settlements.  From  him  the  greater 
portion  of  the  account  of  Crawford's  death  is  derived,  and 
corrected  by  the  statements  of  Indians  present  on  the 
occasion.  Simon  Girty  never  forsook  the  Indians  among 
whom  he  had  made  his  home ;  but  his  influence  gradually 
diminished.  Some  accounts  say  that  he  perished  in  the 
battle  of  the  Thames;  while  others  assert  that  he  lived 
to  extreme  old  age  in  Canada,  where  his  descendants  are 
now  highly  respected  citizens. 


Extraordinary  strength  and  activity,  with  the  most 
daring  courage  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of  life  in  the 
woods,  won  for  Joshua  Fleehart  a  high  reputation  among 
the  first  settler's  of  Western  Virginia  and  Ohio.  When 
the  Ohio  Company  founded  its  settlement  at  Marietta,  in 
April,  1778,  Fleehart  was  employed  as  a  scout  and  a 
hunter.  In  this  service  he  had  no  superior  north  of  the 
Ohio.  At  periods  of  the  greatest  danger,  when  the  In- 
dians were  known  to  be  much  incensed  against  the  whites, 
he  would  start  from  the  settlement  with  no  companion  but 

(118) 


JOSHUA  FLEEHART. 


JOSHUA  FLEEHART. 


121 


his  dog,  and  ranging  within  about  twenty  miles  of  an  In- 
dian town,  would  build  his  cabin  and  trap  and  hunt  dur- 
ing nearly  the  whole  season.  On  one  occasion  this  reck- 
less contempt  of  danger  almost  cost  the  hunter  his  life. 

Having  became  tired  of  the  sameness  of  garrison  life, 
and  panting  for  that  freedom  among  the  woods  and  hills 
to  which  he  had  always  been  accustomed,  late  in  the  fall 
of  1795,  he  took  his  canoe,  rifle,  traps,  and  blanket,  with 
no  one  to  accompany  him,  leaving  even  his  faithful  dog 
in  the  garrison  with  his  family.  As  he  was  going  into 
a  dangerous  neighborhood,  he  was  fearful  lest  the  voice 
of  his  dog  might  betray  him.  With  a  daring  and  intre- 
pidity which  few  men  possess,  he  pushed  his  canoe  up  the 
Sciota  river  a  distance  of  fifteen  or  twenty  miles,  into  the 
Indian  country,  amidst  their  best  hunting-grounds  for  the 
bear  and  the  beaver,  where  no  white  man  had  dared  to 
venture.  These  two  were  the  main  object  of  his  pursuit, 
and  the  hills  of  Brush  creek  were  said  to  abound  in  bear, 
and  the  small  streams  that  fell  into  the  Sdota  were  well 
suited  to  the  haunts  of  the  beaver. 

The  spot  chosen  for  his  winter's  residence  was  within 
twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  of  the  Indian  town  of  Chilli- 
cothe,  but  as  they  seldom  go  far  to  hunt  in  the  winter, 
he  had  little  to  fear  from  their  interruption.  For  ten  or 
twelve  weeks  he  trapped  and  hunted  in  this  solitary  re- 
gion unmolested ;  luxuriating  on  the  roasted  tails  of  the 
beaver,  and  drinking  the  oil  of  the  bear,  an  article  of  diet 
which  is  considered  by  the  children  of  the  forest  as  giving 
health  to  the  body,  with  strength  and  activity  to  the  limbs. 
His  success  had  equalled  his  most  sanguine  expectations, 


122 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


and  the  winter  passed  away  so  quietly  and  so  pleasantly, 
that  he  was  hardly  aware  of  its  progress.  About  the 
middle  of  February,  he  began  to  make  up  the  peltry  he 
had  captured  into  packages,  and  to  load  his  canoe  with 
the  proceeds  of  his  winter's  hunt,  which  for  safety  had 
been  secreted  in  the  willows,  a  few  miles  below  the  little 
bark  hut  in  which  he  had  lived.  The  day  before  that 
which  he  had  fixed  on  for  his  departure,  as  he  was  returning 
to  his  camp,  just  at  evening,  Fleehart's  acute  ear  caught 
the  report  of  a  rifle  in  the  direction  of  the  Indian  towns, 
but  at  so  remote  a  distance,  that  none  but  a  backwoods- 
man could  have  distinguished  the  sound.  This  hastened 
his  preparations  for  decamping.  Nevertheless  ■  he  slept 
quietly,  but  rose  the  following  morning  before  the  dawn ; 
cooked  and  ate  his  last  meal  in  the  little  hut  to  which  he 
had  become  quite  attached. 

The  sun  had  just  risen,  while  he  was  sitting  on  the  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  examining  the  priming  and  lock  of  his  gun, 
casually  casting  a  look  up  the  river  bank,  he  saw  an  Indian 
slowly  approaching  with  his  eyes  intently  fixed  on  the 
ground,  carefully  inspecting  the  track  of  his  moccasins, 
left  in  the  soft  earth  as  he  returned  to  his  hut  the  evening 
before.  He  instantly  cocked  his  gun,  stepped  behind  a 
tree,  and  waited  till  the  Indian  came  within  the  sure  range 
of  his  shot.  He  then  fire^  and  the  Indian  fell.  Rushing 
from  the  cover  on  his  prostrate  foe,  he  was  about  to  apply 
the  scalping  knife ;  but  seeing  the  shining  silver  broaches, 
and  broad  bands  on  his  arms,  he  fell  to  cutting  them  loose, 
and  tucking  them  into  the  bosom  of  his  hunting  shirt. 
While  busily  occupied  in  securing  the  spoils,  the  sharp 


JOSHUA  FLEEHART.  125* 

crack  of  a  rifle  and  the  passage  of  the  ball  through  the 
bullet  pouch  at  his  side,  caused  him  to  look  up,  when  he 
saw  three  Indians  within  a  hundred  yards  of  him.  They 
being  too  numerous  for  him  to  encounter,  he  seized  his 
rifle  and  took  to  flight.  The  other  two,  as  he  ran,  fired 
at  him  without  efiect.  The  chase  was  continued  for  seve- 
ral miles  by  two  of  the  Indians,  who  were  the  swiftest 
runners.  He  often  stopped  and  "  treed,  "hoping  to  get  a 
shot  and  kill  or  disable  one  of  them,  and  then  overcome 
the  other  at  his  leisure.  His  pursuers  also  "treed,"  and 
by  flanking  to  the  right  and  left,  forced  him  to  uncover 
or  stand  the  chance  of  a  shot. 

He  finally  concluded  to  leave  the  level  grojmds,  on 
which  the  contest  had  thus  far  been  held,  and  take  to  the 
high  hills  which  lie  back  of  the  bottoms.  His  strong, 
muscular  limbs  here  gave  him'  the  advantage,  as  he  could 
ascend  the  steep  hill  sides  more  rapidly  than  his  pursuers. 
The  Indians,  seeing  they  could  not  overtake  him,  as  a  last 
effort  stopped  and  fired.  One  of  the  balls  cut  away  the 
handle  of  his  hunting-knife,  jerking  it  so  violently  against 
his  side,  that  for  a  moment  he  thought  he  was  wounded. 
He  immediately  returned  the  fire,  and,  with  a  yell  of 
vexation,  they  gave  up  the  chase. 

Fleehart  made  a  circuit  among  the  hills,  and  just  at 
dark  came  in  to  the  river,  near  where  the  canoe  lay  hid. 
Springing  lightly  on  board,  he  paddled  down  stream. 
Being  greatly  fatigued  with  the  effbrts  of  the  day,  he  lay 
down  in  the  canoe,  and  when  he  awoke  in  the  morning 
the  boat  was  just  entering  the  Ohio  river.  Crossing  over 
to  the  southern  shore,  he,  in  a  few  days,  pushed  his  cano** 


126 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


up  to  Farmer's  Castle,  without  further  adventure,  where 
he  showed  the  rich  packages  of  peltrj,  as  the  proceeds 
of  his  winter's  hunt,  and  displayed  the  brilliant  silver 
ornaments,  as  trophies  of  his  victory,  to  the  envy  and 
admiration  of  his  less  venturous  companions.* 


*  Hildreth's  Pioneer  History. 


A  MOUNTED  RANGER. 


In  the  latter  part  of  September,  1789,  an  alarm  being 
•given  that  Indians  had  been  seen  in  the  Campus  Martius, 
on  the  Ohio,  a  party  consisting  of  five  or  six  rangers,  ten 
volunteer  citizens,  and  twelve  regular  soldiers  was  collected 
for  pursuit. 

The  men  went  up  in  canoes  to  the  mouth  of  Duck  creek, 
where  they  left  their  water  craft.  The  more  experienced 
rangers  soon  fell  upon  the  trail,  which  they  traced  across 
the  wide  bottoms  on  to  the  Little  Muskingum.    At  a  point 

9  -  (129) 


130 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


about  half  a  mile  below  where  Conner's  milUnow  stands, 
the  Indians  forded  the  creek.  In  a  hollow,  between  the 
hills,  about  a  mile  east  of  the  creek,  they  discovered  the 
smoke  of  their  camp  fire.  The  rangers  now  divided  the 
volunteers  into  two  flanking  parties,  with  one  of  the  spies 
at  the  head  of  each,  and  three  of  their  number  to  act  in 
front.  By  the  time  the  flankers  had  come  in  range  of  the 
camp,  the  Indians  discovered  their  pursuers,  by  the  noise 
of  the  soldiers  who  lagged  behind,  and  were  not  so  cautious 
in  their  movement.  They  instantly  fled  up  the  run  on 
which  they  were  encamped.  Two  of  their  number  leaving 
the  main  body,  ascended  the  point  of  a  hill,  with  a  ravine 
on  the  right  and  left  of  it. 

The  rangers  now  began  to  fire,  while  the  Indians,  each 
one  taking  his  tree,  returned  the  shot.  One  of  the  two  In- 
dians on  the  spur  of  the  ridge  was  wounded  through  the 
hips,  by  one  of  the  spies  on  the  right,  who  pushed  on  man- 
fully to  gain  the  flanks  of  the  enemy.  The  men  in  front 
came  on  more  slowly,  and  as  they  began  to  ascend  the 
point  of  the  ridge,  Ned  Henderson,  who  was  posted  on  high 
ground,  cried  out  "  Kerr !  Kerr  I  there  is  an  Indian  be- 
hind that  white  oak,  and  he  will  kill  some  of  you."  Kerr 
instantly  sprung  behind  a  large  tree,  and  Peter  Anderson, 
who  was  near  him,  behind  a  hickory,  too  small  to  cover 
more  than  half  his  body,  while  John  Wiser  jumped  down 
into  the  ravine.  At  that  instant  the  Indian  fired  at  An- 
derson, and  as  John  looked  over  the  edge  of  the  bank  to 
learn  the  effect  of  the  shot,  he  saw  Peter  wiping  the  dust 
of  the  hickory  bark  out  of  his  eyes.  The  ball  grazed  the 
tree,  just  opposite  his  nose,  and  glancing  off  did  him  no 


I 


INDIAN  FIGHT  ON  THE  LITTLE  MUSKINGUM.  133 


serious  harm,  but  filling  his  eyes  with  the  dust,  and  cutting 
his  nose  with  the  splinters.  At  the  same  time  Henderson, 
with  others,  fired  at  the  Indian,  and  he  fell  with  several 
balls  through  his  body.  The  brave  fellow  who  was  killed 
lost  his  life  in  a  noble  efibrt  to  aid  his  friend,  who  had  been 
wounded  through  the  hips,  and  could  not  spring  up  on  to 
the  little  bench,  or  break  in  the  ridge,  where  he  was 
standing. 

"While  occupied  in  this  labor  of  love,  the  rangers  on  his 
flanks  had  so  far  advanced,  that  the  shelter  of  the  friendly 
tree  could  no  longer  secure  him  from  their  shots,  as  it  had 
done  while  his  enemies  were  more  in  front  of  him.  The 
wounded  Indian  escaped  for  the  present,  although  it  is 
probable  he  died  soon  after.   The  other  five  Indians,  there 
being  seven  in  the  party,  seeing  that  their  enemies  out- 
numbered them  so  greatly,  after  firing  a  few  times,  made 
a  circuit  to  the  right  and  came  up  in  the  rear  of  the  sol- 
diers, who  were  occupying  themselves  with  the  contents 
of  the  kettle  of  hog  meat  and  potatoes,  which  the  Indians 
in  their  hurry  had  left  boiling  over  the  fire.  The  first  notice 
they  had  of  their  danger  was  the  report  of  their  rifles.  It 
made  a  huge  uproar  among  the  musketeers,  who  taking 
to  flight,  ran  in  great  alarm  for  protection  to  the  rangers. 
As  it  happened  the  Indians  were  too  far  ofi*  to  do  much 
harm,  and  no  one  was  injured  but  one  poor  fellow,  who  was 
shot  through  the  seat  of  his  trowsers,  just  grazing  the 
skin.    He  tumbled  into  the  brook  by  the  side  of  the  camp, 
screaming  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  "  I  am  kill'd,  I  am  kill'd," 
greatly  to  the  amusement  of  the  rangers,  who  were  soon 
at  his  side,  and  dragging  him  out  of  the  water,  searched 


134 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST 


in  vain  for  the  mortal  wound.  The  dead  Indian  waa 
scalped,  and  his  rifle  and  blanket  taken  as  the  legitimate 
plunder  of  a  conquered  foe.  The  other  five  retreated  out 
of  reach  of  the  rangers,  after  their  feat  of  frightening  the 
soldiers.  They  returned  to  the  garrison,  well  pleased 
that  none  of  their  men  were  killed,  but  much  vexed  with 
the  soldiers,  whose  indiscretion  had  prevented  their  de- 
stroying the  whole  of  the  Indians,  had  they  encircled  them 
as  first  arranged  by  the  leaders  of  the  party.  It  served 
as  a  warning  to  the  Indians  not  to  approach  too  near  the 
Yankee  garrison,  as  their  rangers  were  brave  men,  whose 
eyes  and  ears  were  always  open.* 


*  Hildreth's  Pioneer  History. 


THE  DEFIANCE. 


I^^e^pe  of  l^eiiiiri)  J.  ^el03. 

During  the  continuance  of  the  Indian  wars,  from  1790 
to  1795,  it  was  customary  for  the  inmates  of  all  the  gar- 
risons to  cultivate  considerable  fields  of  Indian  corn  and 
other  vegetables  near  the  walls  of  their  defences.  Al- 
though hazardous  in  the  extreme,  it  was  preferable  to 
starvation.  For  a  part  of  that  time  no  provisions  could  be 
obtained  from  the  older  settlements  above,  on  the  Monon- 
gahela  and  Ohio ;  sometimes  from  a  scarcity  amongst 
themselves,  and  always  at  great  hazard  from  Indians, 
who  watched  the  river  for  the  captur?  of  boats.  Another 
reason  was  the  want  of  money  ;  many  of  the  settlers  hav- 

(137) 


^138 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


ing  expended  a  large  share  of  their  funds  in  thQ  journey 
on,  and  for  the  purchase  of  lands,  while  others  had  not  a 
single  dollar;  so  that  necessity  compelledj^them-  to  plant 
^  their  fields.  The  war  having  commenced  so  soon  after 
their  arrival,  and  at  a  time  when  not  expected,  as  a  for- 
mal treaty  was  made  with  them  at  Marietta,  in  January, 
1789,  which  by  the  way  was  only  a  piece  of  Indian  diplo- 
macy, they  never  intended  to  abide  by  it  longer  than 
suited  their  convenience,  and  no  stores  being  laid  up  for 
a  siege,  they  were  taken  entirely  unprepared.  So  des- 
perate were  their  circumstances  at  one  period,  that  serious 
thoughts  of  abandoning  the  country  were  entertained  by 
many  of  the  leading  men.  Under  |hese  circumstances 
R.  J.  Meigs,  then  a  young  lawyer,  "was  forced  to  lay 
aside  the  gown,  and  assume  the  use  of  both  the  sword  apd 
plough.  It  is  true  that  but  little  ploughing  was  done,  as 
much  of  the  corn  was  then  raised  by  planting  the  virgin 
soil  with  a  hoe,  amongst  the  stumps  and  logs  of  the  clear- 
ing, after  burning  off  the  brush  and  light  stuff.  In  this 
way  large  crops  were  invariably  produced ;  so  that  nearly 
all  the  implements  needed  were  the  axe  and  the  hoe.  It 
so  happened  that  Mr.  Meigs,  whose  residence  was  in 
Campus  Martins,  the  garrison  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Muskingum  river,  had  planted  a  field  of  corn  on  the  west 
side  of  that  stream  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Harmar.  To 
reach  this  field  the  river  was  to  be  crossed  near  his  resi- 
dence in  a  canoe,  and  the  space  between  the  landing  and 
his  crop,  a  distance ^f  about  half  a  mile,  to  be  passed  by 
an  obscure  path  through  a  thick:  wood. 

Early  in  June,  1792,  Mr.  Meigs,  having  completed  the 


4 


ESCAPE  OF  RETURN  J.  MEIGS. 


141 


labor  of  the  day  a  little  before  night,  set  out  on  his  return 
home  in  company  with  Joseph  Symonds  and  a  colored  boy, 
which  he  had  brought  with  him  as  a  servant  from  Con- 
necticut. Immediately  on  leaving  the  field  they  entered 
the  forest  through  which  they  had  to  pass  before  reaching 
the  canoe.  Symonds  and  the  boy  were  unarmed ;  Mr. 
Meigs  carried  a  small  shot-gun,  which  he  had  taken  with 
him  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  a  turkey,  which  at  that 
day  abounded  to  an  extent  that  would  hardly  be  credited 
at  this  time.  Flocks  of  several  hundred  were  not  uncom- 
mon, and  of  a  size  and  fatness  that  would  excite  the  ad- 
miration of  an  epicure  of  any  period  of  the  world,  even 
of  Apicius  himself.  Meeting,  however,  with  no  turkies, 
he  had  discharged  his  gun  at  a  large  snake  which  crossed 
his  path.  They  had  now  arrived  within  a  few  rods  of 
the  landing,  when  two  Indians,  who  had  been  for  some 
time  watching  their  movements  and  heard  the  discharge 
of  the  gun,  sprang  into  the  path  behind  them,  fired  and 
shot  Symonds  through  the  shoulder.  He  being  an  excellent 
swimmer,  rushed  down  the  bank  and  into  the  Muskingum 
river ;  where,  turning  on  his  back,  he  was  enabled  to 
support  himself  on  the  surface  until  he  floated  down  near 
Fort  Harmar,  where  he  was  taken  up  by  a  canoe.  His 
wound,  although  a  dangerous  one,  was  healed,  and  he  was 
alive  twenty  years  afterwards.  The  black  boy  followed 
Symonds  into  the  river  as  far  as  he  could  wade,  but  being 
no  swimmer,  was  unable  to  get  out  of  reach  of  the  Indian 
who  pursued  them,  and  was  seized  and  dragged  on  shore. 
The  Indian  who  had  captured  him  was  desirous  of  making 
him  a  prisoner,  which  he  so  obstinately  refused,  and  made 


142 


HEROES  OP  THE  WEST. 


SO  much  resistance  that  he  finally  tomahawked  and  scalped 
him  near  the  edge  of  the  water.  To  this  alternative  he 
was  in  a  manner  compelled,  rather  than  lose  both  prisoner 
and  scalp,  as  the  rangers  and  men  at  Campus  Martius 
had  commenced  firing  at  him  from  the  opposite  shore.  The 
first  shot  was  fired  by  a  spirited  black  man  in  the  service 
of  Commodore  Abraham  Whipple,  who  was  employed  near 
the  river  at  the  time. 

From  some  accident,  it  appears  that  only  one  of  the 
Indians  was  armed  with  a  rifle,  while  the  other  had  a  toma- 
hawk and  knife.  After  Symonds  was  shot,  Mr.  Meigs 
immediately  faced  about  in  order  to  retreat  to  Fort  Harmar. 
The  savage  armed  with  the  rifle,  had  placed  himself  in  the 
path,  intending  to  cut  off  his  escape,  but  had  no  time  to 
reload  before  his  intended  victim  clubbed  his  gun  and 
rushed  upon  his  antagonist.  As  he  passed,  Mr.  Meigs 
aimed  a  blow  at  his  head,  which  the  Indian  returned  with 
his  rifle.  From  the  rapidity  of  the  movement,  neither  of 
them  were  seriously  injured,  although  it  staggered  both 
considerably,  yet  neither  fell  to  the  ground.  Instantly 
recovering  from  the  shock,  he  pursued  his  course  to  the 
fort  with  the  Indian  close  at  his  heels.  Mr.  Meigs  was  in 
the  vigor  of  early  manhood,  and  had,  by  frequent  practice 
in  the  race,  become  a  very  swift  runner.  His  foeman  was 
also  very  fleet,  and  amongst  the  most  active  of  their  war- 
riors, as  none  but  such  were  sent  into  the  settlements  on 
marauding  excurions.  The  race  continued  for  sixty  or 
eighty  rods  with  little  advantage  on  either  side,  when  Mr. 
Meigs  gradually  increased  his  distance  a-head,  and  leap- 
ing across  a  deep  run  that  traversed  the  path,  the  ^Indian 


ESCAPE  OP  RETURN  J.  MEIGS. 


148 


stopped  on  the  brink,  threw  his  tomahawk,  and  gave  up 
the  pursuit  with  one  of  those  fierce  yells  which  rage  and 
disappointment  both  served  to  sharpen.  It  was  distinctly 
heard  at  both  the  forts.  About  sixteen  years  since,  an 
Indian  tomahawk  was  ploughed  up  near  this  spot,  and 
'  was  most  probably  the  one  thrown  at  Mr.  Meigs ;  as  the 
rescue  and  pursuit  from  Fort  Harmar  was  so  immediate 
upon  hearing  the  alarm,  that  he  had  no  time  to  recover 
it.  With  the  scalp  of  the  poor  black  boy,  the  Indians 
ascended  the  abrupt  side  of  the  hill  which  overlooked  the 
garrison,  and  shouting  defiance  to  their  foes,  escaped  in 
the  forest. 

The  excitement  was  very  great  at  the  garrison,  and 
taught  the  inmates  an  useful  lesson ;  that  of  being  better 
armed  and  more  on  their  guard  when  they  went  out  on 
agricultural  pursuits.  Had  Mr.  Meigs  tried  any  other 
expedient  than  that  of  facing  his  enemy  and  rushing  in- 
stantly upon  him,  he  must  have  lost  his  life,  as  the  In- 
dian was  well  aware  of  his  gun  being  unloaded.  On  his 
right  was  the  river,  on  his  left  a  very  high  hill ;  beyond 
him  the  pathless  forest,  and  between  him  and  the  fort  his 
Indian  foe.  To  his  sudden  and  unexpected  attack,  to  his 
dauntless  and  intrepid  manner,  and  to  his  activity,  he 
undoubtedly  owed  his  life. 


One  of  the  most  remarkable  pioneer  figlits,  in  the 
early  history  of  the  west,  was  that  waged  by  Captain 
James  Estill,  and  seventeen  of  his  associates,  on  the  22d 
of  March,  1782,  with  a  party  of  Wyandotte  Indians, 
twenty-five  in  number.  Seventy-one  years  almost  have 
elapsed  since ;  yet  one  of  the  actors  in  that  sanguinary 
struggle,  Rev.  Joseph  Proctor,  of  Estill  county,  Kentucky, 
survived  to  the  2d  of  December,  1844,  dying  in  the  full 
enjoyment  of  his  faculties  at  the  age  of  ninety.  His  wife, 
the  partner  of  his  early  privations  and  toils,  and  nearly 
as  old  as  himself,  deceased  six  months  previously. 
(144)  ■ 


SLATTGIITER  OF  MISS  INNES.  * 

10 


ESTILL'S  DEFEAT.  147 

• 

On  the  19th  of  March  1782,  Indian  rafts,  without  any 
one  on  them,  were  seen  floating  down  the  Kentucky  river, 
past  Boonesborough.  Intelligence  of  this  fact  was  imme- 
diately dispatched  by  Colonel  Logan  to  Captain  Estill, 
at  his  station  fifteen  miles  from  Boonesborough,  and  near 
the  present  site  of  Richmond,  Kentucky,  together  with  a 
force  of  fifteen  men,  who  were  directed  to  march  from 
Lincoln  county  to  Estill's  assistance,  instructing  Captain 
Estill,  if  the  Indians  had  not  appeared  there,  to  scour  the 
country  with  a  reconnoitring  party,  as  it  could  not  be 
known  at  what  point  the  attack  would  be  made. 

Estill  lost  not  a  moment  in  collecting  a  force  to  go  in 
search  of  the  savages,  not  doubting,  from  his  knowledge 
of  the  Indian  character,  that  they  designed  an  immediate 
blow  at  his  or  some  of  the  neighboring  stations.  Erom 
his  own  and  the  nearest  stations,  he  raised  twenty-five 
men.  Whilst  Estill  and  his  men  were  on  this  excursion, 
the  Indians  suddenly  appeared  around  his  station  at  the 
dawn  of  day,  on  the  20th  of  March,  killed  and  scalped 
Miss  Innes,  and  took  Munk,  a  slave  of  Captain  Estill, 
captive.  The  Indians  immediately  and  hastily  retreated, 
in  consequence  of  a  highly  exaggerated  account  which 
Munk  gave  them  of  the  strength  of  the  station,  and 
and  number  of  fighting  men  in  it.  No  sooner  had  the 
Indians  commenced  their  retreat,  than  the  women  in  the 
fort  (the  men  being  all  absent  except  one  on  the,  sick  list,) 
dispatched  two  boys,  the  late  General  Samuel  South  and 
Peter  Hacket,  to  take  the  trail  of  Captain  Estill  and  his 
men,  and,  overtaking  them,  give  information  of  what  had 
occurred  at  the  fort.    The  boys  succeeded  in  coming  up 


148 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


with  Captain  Estill  early  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  be- 
tween the  mouths  of  Drowning  creek  and  Red  river. 
After  a  short  search,  Captain  Estill's  party  struck  the 
trail  of  the  retreating  Indians.  It  was  resolved  at  once 
to  make  pursuit,  md  no  time  was  lost  in  doing  so.  Five 
men  of  the  party,  however,  who  had  families  in  the  fort, 
feeling  uneasy  for  their  safety,  and  unwilling  to  trust 
their  defence  to  the  few  who  remained  there,  returned  to 
the  fort,  leaving  Captain  Estill's  party  thirty-five  in 
number.  These  pressed  the  pursuit  of  the  retreating  In- 
dians, as  rapidly  as  possible,  but  night  coming  on  they 
encamped  near  the  Little  Mountain,  at  present  the  site 
of  Mount  Sterling. 

Early  next  morning  they  put  forward,  being  obliged  to 
leave  ten  of  the  men  behind,  whose  horses  were  too  jaded 
to  travel  further.  They  had  not  proceeded  far  until  they 
discovered  by  fresh  tracks  of  the  Indians,  that  they  were 
not  far  distant.  They  then  marched  in  four  lines  until 
about  an  hour  before  sunset,  when  they  discovered  six  of 
the  savages  helping  themselves  to  rations  from  the  body 
of  a  buffalo  which  they  had  killed.  The  company  was 
ordered  to  dismount.  With  the  usual  impetuosity  of 
Kentuckians,  some  of  the  party  fired  without  regarding 
orders,  and  the  Indians  fled.  One  of  the  party,  a  Mr. 
David  Cook,  who  acted  as  ensign,  exceedingly  ardent  and 
active,  had  proceeded  in  advance  of  the  company,  and 
seeing  an  Indian  halt,  raised  his  gun  and  fired.  At  the 
same  moment  another  Indian  crossed  on  the  opposite 
side,  and  they  were  both  leveled  with  the  same  shot.  This 
occurring  in  view  of  the  whole  company,  inspired  them 


CAPTAIN  ESTILL. 


I 

4 


4 
4 


Estill's  defeat. 


151 


all  with  a  high  degree  of  confidence.  In  the  meantime, 
the  main  body  of  Indians  had  heard  the  alarm  and  re- 
turned, and  the  two  hostile  parties  exactly  matched  in 
point  of  numbers,  having  twenty-five  on  each  side,  and 
were  now  face  to  face.  The  ground  was  highly  favorable 
to  the  Indian  mode  of  warfare ;  but  Captain  Estill  and 
his  men,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  boldly  and  fear- 
lessly commenced  an  attack  upon  them,  and  the  latter  as 
boldly  and  fearlessly  (for  they  were  picked  warriors)  en- 
gaged in  the  bloody  combat.  It  is,  however,  disgraceful 
to  relate,  that,  at  the  very  onset  of  the  action.  Lieutenant 
Miller,  of  Captain  Estill's  party,  with  six  men  under  his 
command,  "  ingloriously  fled"  from  the  field,  thereby 
placing  in  jeopardy  the  whole  of  their  comrades,  and 
causing  the  death  of  many  brave  soldiers.  Hence,  Estill's 
party  numbered  eighteen,  and  the  Wyandottes  twenty-five. 

The  flank  becoming  thus  unprotected,  Captain  Estill 
directed  Cook  with  three  men  to  occupy  Miller's  station, 
and  repel  the  attack  in  that  quarter  to  which  this  base  act 
of  cowardice  exposed  the  whole  party.  The  ensign  with 
his  party  were  taking  the  position  assigned,  when  one  of 
them  discovered  an  Indian  and  shot  him,  and  the  three 
retreated  to  a  little  eminence  whence  they  thought  greater 
execution  could  be  effected  with  less  danger  to  themselves, 
but  Cook  continued  to  advance  without  noticing  the  absence 
of  his  party  until  he  had  discharged  his  gun  with  efi*ect, 
when  he  immediately  retreated,  but  after  running  some 
distance  to  a  large  tree,  for  the  purpose  of  shelter  in  firing, 
he  unfortunately  got  entangled  in  the  tops  of  fallen  timber, 
and  halting  for  a  moment,  received  a  ball  which  struck  him 


152 


UEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


just  below  the  shoulder  blade,  and  came  out  below  his  collar 
oone.  In  the  meantime,  on  the  main  field  of  battle,  at  the 
distance  of  fifty  yards,  the  fight  raged  with  great  fury, 
lasting  one  hour  and  three-quarters.  On  either  side 
wounds  and  death  were  inflicted,  neither  party  advancing 
or  retreating.  "Every  man  to  his  man,  and  every  man 
to  his  tree."  Captain  Estill  at  this  period  was  covered 
with  blood  from  a  wound  received  early  in  the  action ;  nine 
of  his  brave  companions  lay  dead  upon  the  field ;  and 
four  others  were  so  disabled  by  their  wounds,  as  to  be 
unable  to  continue  the  fight.  Captain  Estill's  fighting 
men  were  now  reduced  to  four.  Among  this  number  was 
Joseph  Proctor. 

Captain  Estill,  the  brave  leader  of  this  Spartan  band, 
was  now  brought  into  a  personal  conflict  with  a  powerful 
and  active  Wyandotte  warrior.  The  conflict  was  for  a 
time  fierce  and  desperate,  and  keenly  and  anxiously  watched 
by  Proctor,  with  his  finger  on  the  trigger  of  his  unerring 
rifle.  Such,  however,  was  the  struggle  between  these  fierce 
and  powerful  warriors,  that  Proctor  could  not  shoot  without 
greatly  endangering  the  safety  of  his  captain.  Estill  had 
had  his  arm  broken  the  preceding  summer  in  an  engage- 
ment with  the  Indians ;  and,  in  the  conflict  with  the  war- 
rior on  this  occasion,  that  arm  gave  way,  and  in  an  instant 
his  savage  foe  buried  his  knife  in  Captain  Estill's  breast ; 
but  in  the  very  same  moment,  the  brave  Proctor  sent  a  ball 
from  his  rifle  to  the  Wyandotte's  heart.  The  survivors  then 
drew  off*  as  by  mutual  consent. — Thus  ended  this  memo- 
rable battle.  It  wanted  nothing  but  the  circumstance  of 
numbers  to  make  it  the  most  memorable  in  ancient  or  modern 


Estill's  defeat.  153 

times.  The  loss  of  the  Indians,  in  killed  and  wounded, 
notwithstanding  the  disparity  of  numbers  after  the  shameful 
retreat  of  Miller,  was  even  greater  than  that  of  Captain 
Estill. 

It  was  afterwards  ascertained  by  prisoners  who  were 
recaptured  from  the  Wyandotte,  that  seventeen  of  the  In- 
dians had  been  killed,  and  two  severely  wounded.  This 
battle  was  fought  on  the  same  day,  with  the  disastrous 
battle  of  the  Blue  Licks,  March  22d,  1782. 

There  is  a  tradition  derived  from  the  Wyandotte  towns, 
after  the  peace,  that  but  one  of  the  warriors  engaged  in 
this  battle  ever  returned  to  his  nation.  It  is  certain  that 
the  chief  who  led  on  the  Wyandottes  with  so  much  despera- 
tion, fell  in  the  action.  Throughout  this  bloody  engage- 
ment the  coolness  and  bravery  of  Proctor  were  unsurpassed. 
But  his  conduct  after  the  battle  has  always,  with  those 
acquainted  with  it,  elicited  the  warmest  commendation.  He 
brought  off  the  field  of  battle,  and  most  of  the  way  to  the 
station,  a  distance  of  forty  miles,  on  his  back,  his  badly 
wounded  friend,  the  late  brave  Colonel  William  Irvine,  so 
long  and  so  favorably  known  in  Kentucky. 


The  mothers  of  the  west  deserve  as  wide  a  faiae  as 
their  fearless  husbands  and  brothers.  In  no  situation 
were  courage  and  resolution  so  much  required  in  women 
as  in  the  western  wilderness,  during  the  Indian  wars, 
and  even  the  celebrated  heroines  of  European  history 
seem  to  us  ordinary  in  comparison. 

In  the  fall  of  1779,  Samuel.  Daviess,  who  resided  in 
Bedford  county,  Virginia,  moved  with  his  family  to  Ken- 
tucky, and  lived  for  a  time,  at  Whitley's  station,  in  Lin- 
(154) 


SCALPING. 


A  PIONEER  MOTHER. 


157 


coin.  After  residing  for  some  time  in  the  station,  he  re- 
moved for  a  time  to  a  place  called  Gilmer's  Lick,  some 
six  or  seven  miles  distant  from  said  station,  where  he  built 
a  cabin,  cleared  some  land,  which  he  put  in  corn  next 
season,  not  apprehending  any  danger  from  the  Indians, 
although  he  was  considered  a  frontier  settler.  But  this 
imaginary  state  of  security  did  not  last  long ;  for  one 
morning  in  August,  1782,  having  stepped  a  few  paces 
from  his  door,  he  was  suddenly  surprised  by  an  Indian 
appearing  between  him  and  the^door,  with  tomahawk  up- 
lifted, almost  within  striking  distance.  In  this  unexpected 
condition,  and  being  entirely  unarmed,  his  first  thought 
was,  that  by  running  round  the  house,  he  could  enter  the 
door  in  safety,  but  to  his  surprise,  in  attempting  to  effect 
this  object,  as  he  approached  the  door  he  found  the  house 
full  of  Indians.  Being  closely  pursued  by  the  Indian  first 
mentioned,  he  made  his  way  into  the  cornfield,  where  he 
concealed  himself  with  much  difficulty,  until  the  pursuing 
Indian  had  returned  to  the  house. 

Unable  as  he  was  to  render  any  relief  to  his  family, 
there  being  five  Indians,  he  ran  with  the  utmost  speed  to 
the  station  of  his  brother,  a  distance  of  five  miles.  As 
he  approached  the  station,  his  undressed  condition  told 
the  tale  of  his  distresses,  before  he  was  able  to  tell  it  him- 
self. Almost  breathless,  and  with  a  faltering  voice,  he 
could  only  say,  his  wife  and  children  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  Indians.  Scarcely  was  the  communication  made 
when  he  obtained  a  spare  gun,  and  the  five  men  in  the 
station,  well  armed,  followed  him  to  his  residence.  When 
they  arrived  at  the  house,  the  Indians,  as  well  as  the  fa- 


158  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

mily  were  found  to  be  gone,  and  no  evidence  appeared 
that  any  of  the  family  had  been  killed.  A  search  was 
made  to  find  the  direction  the  Indians  had  taken ;  but  owing 
to  the  dryness  of  the  ground,  and  the  adroit  manner  in 
which  they  had  departed,  no  discovery  could  be  made. 
In  this  study  and  perplexity,  the  party  being  all  good 
woodsmen,  took  that  direction  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians, 
which  they  thought  it  most  probable  they  would  take. 
After  going  a  few  miles,  their  attention  was  arrested  by 
the  howling  of  a  dog,  which  afterwards  turned  out  to  be 
a  house-dog  that  had  followed  the  family,  and  which  the 
Indians  had  undertaken  to  kill,  so  as  to  avoid  detection, 
which  might  happen  from  his  occasionally  barking.  In 
attempting  to  kill  the  dog,  he  was  onljr  wounded,  which 
produced  the  howling  that  was  heard.  The  noise  thus 
heard,  satisfied  them  that  they  were  near  the  Indians,  and 
enabled  them  to  rush  forward  with  the  utmost  impetuosity. 
Two  of  the  Indians  being  in  the  rear  as  spies,  discovering 
the  approach  of  the  party,  ran  forward  to  where  the  In- 
dians were  with  the  family — one  of  them  knocked  down 
the  oldest  boy,  about  eleven  years  old,  and  while  in  the 
act  of  scalping  him,  was  fired  at,  but  without  effect.  Mrs. 
Daviess,  seeing  the  agitation  and  alarm  of  the  Indians, 
saved  herself  and  sucking  child,  by  jumping  into  a  sink 
hole.  The  Indians  did  not  stand  to  make  fight,  but  fled 
in  the  most  precipitate  manner.  In  that  way  the  family 
was  rescued  by  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  without  the 
loss  of  a  single  life,  and  without  any  injury  but  that  above 
mentioned.  So  soon  as  the  boy  had  risen  on  his  feet,  the 
first  words  he  spoke  were,  "  Curse  that  Indian,  he  has  got 


A  PIONEER  MOTHEE. 


161 


my  scalp  !"    After  the  family  had  been  rescued,  Mrs. 
Daviess  gave  the  following  account  of  how  the  Indians  . 
had  acted. 

A  few  minutes  after  her  husband  had  opened  the  door 
and  stepped  out  of  the  house,  four  Indians  rushed  in, 
whilst  the  fifth,  as  she  afterwards  learned,  was  in  pursuit 
of  her  husband.  Herself  and  children  were  in  bed  when 
the  Indians  entered  the  house.  One  of  the  Indians  imme- 
diately made  signs,  by  which  she  understood  him  to  inquire 
how  far  it  was  to  the  next  house.  With  an  unusual  presence 
of  mind,  knowing  how  important  it  would  be  to  make  the 
distance  as  far  as  possible,  she  raised  both  her  hands,  first 
counting  the  fingers  of  one  hand,  then  of  the  other — making 
a  distance  of  eight  miles.  The  Indian  then  signed  to  her 
that  she  must  rise ;  she  immediately  got  up,  and  as  soon 
as  she  could  dress  herself,  commenced  showing  the  Indians 
one  article  of  clothing  after  another,  which  pleased  them 
very  much ;  and  in  that  way,  delayed  them  at  the  house 
nearly  two  hours.  In  the  meantime,  the  Indian  who  had 
been  in  pursuit  of  her  husband,  returned  with  his  hands 
stained  w^ith  poke  berries,  which  he  held  up,  and  with  some 
violent  gestures,  and  waving  of  his  tomahawk,  attempted 
to  inducQ  the  belief,  that  the  stain  on  his  hands  was  the 
blood  of  her  husband,  and  that  he  had  killed  him.  She 
was  enabled  at  once  to  discover  the  deception,  and  instead 
of  producing  any  alarm  on  her  part,  she  was  satisfied  that 
her  husband  had  escaped  uninjured. 

Aftei*  the  savages  had  plundered  the  house  of  everything 
that  they  could  conveniently  carry  off  with  them,  they 
started,  taking  Mrs.  Daviess  and  her  children — seven  in 

11 


162 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


number,  as  prisoners  along  with  them.  Some  of  the  child- 
ren were  too  young  to  travel  as  fast  as  the  Indians  wished, 
and  discovering,  as  she  believed,  their  intention  to  kill 
such  of  them  as  could  not  conveniently  travel,  she  made 
the  two  oldest  boys  carry  them  on  their  backs.  The  In- 
dians, in  starting  from  the  house,  were  very  careful  to  leave 
no  signs  of  the  direction  which  they  had  taken,  not  even 
permitting  the  children  to  break  a  twig  or  weed,  as  they 
passed  along.  They  had  not  gone  far,  before  an  Indian 
drew  a  knife  and  cut  off  a  few  inches  of  Mrs.  Daviess'  dress, 
so  that  she  would  not  be  interrupted  in  travelling. 

Mrs.  Daviess  was  a  woman  of  cool,  deliberate  courage, 
and  accustomed  to  handle  the  gun  so  that  she  could  shoot 
well,  as  many  of  the  women  were  in  the  habit  of  doing  in 
those  days.  She  had  contemplated,  as  a  last  resort,  that 
if  not  rescued  in  the  course  of  the  day,  when  night  came 
and  the  Indians  had  fallen  asleep,  she  would  rescue  herself 
and  children  by  killing  as  many  of  the  Indians  as  she 
could — thinking  that  in  a  night  attack  as  many  of  them 
as  remained,  would  most  probably  run  off.  Such  an  at- 
tempt would  now  seem  a  species  of  madness  ;  but  to  those 
who  were  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Daviess,  little  doubt  was 
entertained,  that  if  the  attempt  had  been  made,  it  would 
have  proved  successful. 

The  boy  who  had  been  scalped,  was  greatly  disfigured, 
as  the  hair  never  after  grew  upon  that  part  of  the  head. 
He  often  wished  for  an  opportunity  to  avenge  himself  upon 
the  Indians  for  the  injury  he  had  received.  Unfortunately 
for  himself,  ten  years  afterwards,  the  Indians  came  to  the 
neighborhood  of  his  father  and  stole  a  number  of  horses. 


A  PIONEER  MOTHER. 


163 


Himself  and  a  party  of  men  went  in  pursuit  of  them,  and 
after  following  them  for  some  days,  the  Indians  finding 
that  they  were  likely  to  be  overtaken,  placed  themselves 
in  ambush,  and  when  their  pursuers  came  up,  killed  young 
Daviess  and  one  other  man  ;  so  that  he  ultimately  fell  into 
their  hands  when  about  twenty-one  years  old. 

The  next  year  after  the  father  died ;  his  death  being 
caused,  as  it  was  supposed,  by  the  extraordinary  efforts  he 
made  to  release  his  family  from,  the  Indians. 

We  cannot  close  this  account,  without  noticing  an  act 
of  courage  displayed  by  Mrs.  Daviess,  calculated  to  exhibit 
her  character  in  its  true  point  of  view. 

Kentucky,  in  its  early  days,  like  most  new  countries, 
was  occasionally  troubled  with  men  of  abandoned  character, 
who  lived  by  stealing  the  property  of  others,  and  after 
committing  their  depredations,  retired  to  their  hiding 
places,  thereby  eluding  the  operation  of  the  law.  One  of 
these  marauders,  a  man  of  desperate  character,  who  had 
committed  extensive  thefts  from  Mr.  Daviess,  as  well  as 
from  his  neighbors,  was  pursued  by  Daviess  and  a  party 
whose  property  he  had  taken,  in  order  to  bring  him  to 
justice.  While  the  party  were  in  pursuit,  the  suspected 
individual,  not  knowing  any  one  was  pursuing  him,  came 
to  the  house  of  Daviess,  armed  with  his  gun  and  tomahawk — 
no  person  being  at  home  but  Mrs.  Daviess  and  her  child- 
ren. After  he  had  stepped  in  the  house,  Mrs.  Daviess 
asked  him  if  he  would  drink  something — and  having  set  a 
bottle  of  whiskey  upon  the  table,  requested  him  to  help 
himself.  The  fellow  not  suspecting  any  danger,  set  his 
gun  up  by  the  door,  and  while  drinking,  Mrs.  Daviess 


164 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


picked  up  his  gun,  and  placing  herself  in  the  door,  had  the 
gun  cocked  and  levelled  upon  him  by  the  time  he  turned 
around,  and  in  a  peremptory  manner,  ordered  him  to  take 
a  seat,  or  she  would  shoot  him.  Struck  with  terror  and 
alarm,  he  asked  what  he  had  done.  She  told  him,  he  had 
stolen  her  husband's  property,  and  that  she  intended  to 
take  care  of  him  herself.  In  that  condition,  she  held  him 
a  prisoner,  until  the  party  of  men  returned  and  took  him 
into  their  possession. 


THE  squatter's  WIFE. 


Ii]6  §(|i|^ife^'s5  Wife  ict}^  ^^t|gi|felr. 

On  the  Illinois  river,  near  two  hundred  miles  from  its 
junction  with  the  Mississippi,  there  lived  in  1812,  an  old 
pioneer,  known  in  those  days  as  "  Old  Parker  the  squatter." 
His  family  consisted  of  a  wife  and  three  children,  the  oldest 
a  boy  of  nineteen,  a  girl  of  seventeen,  and  the  youngest  a 
boy  of  fourteen.  At  the  time  of  which  we  write,  Parker 
and  his  oldest  boy  had  gone  in  company  with  three  Indians 
on  a  hunt,  expecting  to  be  absent  some  five  or  six  days. — 

(167) 


168 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


The  third  day  after  the  departure,  one  of  the  Indians  re- 
turned to  Parker's  house,  came  in  and  sat  himself  down 
by  the  fire,  lit  his  pipe  and  commenced  smoking  in  silence. 
Mrs.  Parker  thought  nothing  of  this,  as  it  was  no  uncommon 
thing  for  one  or  sometimes  more  of  a  party  of  Indians  to 
return  abruptly  from  a  hunt,  at  some  sign  they  might  con- 
sider ominous  of  bad  luck,  and  in  such  instances  were  not 
very  communicative.  But  at  last  the  Indian  broke  silence 
with  "ugh,  old  Parker  die."  This  exclamation  immedi- 
ately drew  Mrs.  Parker's  attention,  who  (^irectly  enquired 
of  the  Indian,  what's  the  matter  with  Parker  ?  The  Jji- 
dian  responded  Parker  sick,  tree  fell  on  him,  you  go,  he 
die.  Mrs.  Parker  then  asked  the  Indian  if  Parker  had 
sent  for  her,  and  where  he  was  ?  The  replies  of  the  Indian 
somewhat  aroused  her  suspicions.  She,  however,  came  to 
the  conclusion  to  send  her  son  with  the  Indian  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  The  boy  and  Indian  started.  That  night 
passed,  and  the  next  day  too,  and  neither  the  boy  or  In- 
dian returned.  This  confirmed  Mrs.  Parker  in  her  opinion 
that  there  was  foul  play  on  the  part  of  the  Indians.  So 
she  and  her  daughter  went  to  work  and  barricaded  the 
door  and  windows  in  the  best  way  they  could.  The  youngest 
boy's  rifle  was  the  only  one  left,  he  not  having  taken  it 
with  him  when  he  went  to  hunt  after  his  father.  The  old 
'  lady  took  the  rifle,  the  daughter  the  axe,  and  thus  armed 
they  determined  to  watch  through  the  night ;  and  defend 
themselves  if  necessary.  They  had  not  long  to  wait  after 
night  fall,  for  shortly  after  that  some  one  commenced 
knocking  at  the  door,  crying  out  "'Mother  !  mother !"  but 
Mrs.  Parker  thought  the  voice  was  not  exactly  like  that  of 


THE  squatter's  WIFE  AND  DAUGHTER. 


169 


her  son — in  order  to  ascertain  the  fact,  she  said  "  Jake, 
where  are  the  Indians  ?"  The  reply  which  was  "  um  gone," 
satisfied  her  on  that  point.  She  then  said,  as  if  speaking 
to  her  son,  "  Put  your  ear  to  the  latch-hole  of  the  door  I 
want  to  tell  you  something  before  I  open  the  door."  The 
head  was  placed  at  the  latch-hole,  and  the  old  lady  fired 
through  the  same  spot  and  killed  an  Indian.  She  stepped 
back  from  the  door  instantly,  and  it  was  well  she  did  so, 
for  quicker  than  I  have  penned  the  last  two  words  two  rifle 
bullets  came  crashing  through  the  door.  The  old  lady 
then  said  to  her  daughter,  "  Thank  God  there  are  but  two,  I 
must  have  killed  the  one  at  the  door — they  must  be  the 
three  who  went  on  the  hunt  with  your  father.  If  we  can 
only  kill  or  cripple  another  of  them,  we  will  be  safe  ;  now 
we  must  both  be  still  after  they  fire  again,  and  they  will 
then  break  the  door  down,  and  I  m«.y  be  able  to  shoot 
another  one ;  but  if  I  miss  them  when  getting  in,  you  must 
use  the  axe." — The  daughter  equally  courageous  with  her 
mother  assured  her  she  would.  Soon  after  this  conver- 
sation two  more  rifle  bullets  came  crashing  through  the 
^  window.  A  death-like  stillness  ensued  for  about  five  mi- 
nutes, when  two  more  balls  in  quick  succession  were  fired 
through  the  door,  then  followed  a  tremendous  punching 
with  a  log,  the  door  gave  way,  and  with  a  fiendish  yell  an 
Indian  was  about  to  spring  in,  when  the  unerring  rifle  fired 
by  the  old  lady  stretched  his  lifeless  body  across  the  thresh- 
hold  of  the  door.  The  remaining,  or  more  properly  the 
surviving  Indian  fired  at  random  and  ran,  doing  no  injury. 
"Now"  said  the  old  heroine  to  her  undaunted  daughter 
"  we  must  leave."  Accordingly  with  the  rifle  and  the  axe, 


170 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


they  went  to  the  river,  took  the  canoe,  and  witliout  a 
mouthful  of  provision  except  one  wihl  duck  and  two  black 
birds  which  the  mother  shot,  and  which  were  eaten  raw, 
did  these  two  courageous  hearts  in  six  days  arrive  among 
the  old  French  settlers  at  St.  Louis.  A  party  of  about  a 
dozen  men  crossed  over  into  Illinois — and  after  an  unsuc- 
cessful search  returned  without  finding  either  Parker  or  his 
boys.  They  were  never  found.  There  are  yet  some  of 
the  old  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  of  Peoria  who  still 
point  out  the  spot  where  "  old  Parker  the  squatter"  lived. 


4 


6^pT^ii)  ddilH^h)  |fi|b5e)). 


In  the  year  1791,  when  the  Indians  were  very  trouble- 
some on  the  banks  of  ,  the  Ohio,  Captain  William  Hubbell, 
Mr.  Daniel  Light,  Mr.  William  Plascut,'  Mrs.  Plascut  and 
eight  children  embarked  in  a  flat-bottomed  boat  to  proceed 
down  the  Ohio 

On  their  progress  down  the  river,  and  soon  after  passing 
Pittsburgh,  they  saw  evident  traces  of  Indians  along  the 
banks,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  a  boat 
which  they  overtook,  and  which,  through  carelessness,  was 
suflfered  to  run  aground  on  an  island,  became  a  prey  to 
these  merciless  savages.  Though  Captain  Hubbell  and 
his  party  stopped  some  time  for  it  in  a  lower  part  of  the 

(173) 


174 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


river,  it  did  not  arrive,  and  has  never  to  their  knowledge 
been  heard  of  since.  Before  they  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Great  Kenhawa,  they  had  by  several  successive  addi- 
tions, increased  their  number  to  twenty,  consisting  of  nine 
men,  three  women,  and  eight  children.  The  men,  besides 
those  mentioned  above,  were  one  John  Stoner,  an  Irishman 
and  a  Dutchman,  whose  names  are  not  recollected,  Messrs. 
Ray  and  Tucker,  and  a  Mr.  Kilpatrick,  whose  two  daughters 
also  were  of  the  party.  Information  received  at  Galliopolis 
confirmed  the  expectation,  which  appearance  previously 
raised,  of  a  serious  conflict  with  a  large  body  of  Indians  ; 
and  as  Captain  Hubbell  had  been  regularly  appointed  com- 
mander of  the  boat,  every  possible  preparation  was  made 
for  a  formidable  and  successful  resistance  of  the  anticipated 
attack.  The  nine  men  were  divided  into  three  watches 
for  the  night,  which  were  alternately  to  continue  awake, 
and  be  on  the  look  out  for  two  hours  at  a  time.  The  arms 
on  board,  which  consisted  principally  of  old  muskets,  much 
out  of  order,  were  collected,  loaded,  and  put  in  the  best 
possible  condition  for  service.  About  sunset  on  that  day, 
the  23d  of  March,  1792,  the  party  overtook  a  fleet  of  six 
boats  descending  the  river  in  company,  and  intended  to 
continue  with  them,  but  as  their  passengers  seemed  to  bo 
more  disposed  to  dancing  than  fighting,  and  as  soon  after 
dark,  notwithstanding  the  remonstrances  of  Captain  Hub- 
bell,  they  commenced  fiddling  and  dancing  instead  of  pre- 
paring their  arms,  and  taking  the  necessary  rest  prepara- 
tory to  battle,  it  was  wisely  considered  more  hazardous  to 
be  in  such  company,  than  to  be  alone.  It  was  therefore 
determined  to  proceed  rapidly  forward  by  the  aid  of  the 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  HUBBELL.  175 

oars,  and  leave  those  thoughtless  fellow-travellers  behind. 
One  of  the  boats,  however,  belonging  to  the  fleet,  commanded 
by  a  Captain  Greathonse,  adopted  the  same  plan,  and  for 
a  while  kept  up  with  Captain  Hubbell,  but  all  its  crew  at 
length  falling  asleep,  that  boat  also  ceased  to  be  propelled 
by  the  oars,  and  Captain  Hubbell  and  his  party  proceeded 
steadily  forward  alone.  Early  in  the  night  a  canoe  was 
dimly  seen  floating  down  the  river,  in  which  were  probably 
Indians  reconnoitering,  and  other  evident  indications  were 
observed  of  the  neighborhood  and  hostile  intentions  of  a 
formidable  party  of  savages. 

It  was  now  agreed,  that  should  the  attack,  as  was  pro- 
bable, be  deferred  till  morning,  every  man  should  be  up 
before  the  dawn,  in  order  to  make  as  great  a  show  as  pos- 
sible of  numbers  and  of  strength ;  and  that,  whenever  the 
action  should  take  place,  the  women  and  children  should 
lie  down  on  the  cabin  floor,  and 'be  protected  as  well  as 
they  could  by  the  trunks  and  other  baggage,  which  might 
be  placed  around  them.  In  this  perilous  situation  they 
continued  during  the  night,  and  the  captain,  who  had  not 
slept  more  than  one  hour  since  he  left  Pittsburgh,  was  too 
deeply  impressed  with  the  imminent  danger  which  sur- 
rounded him  to  obtain  any  rest  at  that  time. 
-  Just  as  daylight  began  to  appear  in  the  east,  and  before 
the  men  were  up  and  at  their  posts,  agreeably  to  arrange- 
ment, a  voice  at  some  distance  below  them,  in  a  plaintive 
tone,  repeatedly  solicited  them  to  come  on  shore,  as  there 
were  some  white  persons  who  wished  to  obtain  a  passage 
in  their  boat.  This  the  captain  very  naturally  and  cor- 
rectly concluded  to  be  an  Indian  artifice,  and  its  only  effect 


176 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


was  to  rouse  the  men,  and  place  every  one  on  his  guard. 
The  voice  of  entreaty  was  soon  changed  into  the  language 
of  indignation  and  insult,  and  the  sound  of  distant  paddles, 
announced  the  approach  of  the  savage  foe.  At  length 
three  Indian  canoes  were  seen  through  the  mist  of  the 
morning  rapidly  advancing.  With  the  utmost  coolness 
the  captain  and  his  companions  prepared  to  receive  them. 
The  chairs,  tables,  and  other  incumbrances  were  thrown 
into  the  river,  in  order  to  clear  the  deck  for  action.  Every 
man  took  his  position,  and  was  ordered  not  to  fire  till  the 
savages  had  approached  so  near,  that,  (to  use  the  words 
of  Captain  Hubbell,)  "  the  flash  from  the  guns  might  singe 
their  eye-brows ;"  and  a  special  caution  was  given,  that 
the  men  should  fire  successively,  so  that  there  might  be  no 
interval.  On  the  arrival  of  the  canoes,  they  were  found  to 
contain  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  Indians  each.  As  soon 
as  they  had  approached  within  the  reach  of  musket-shot, 
a  general  fire  was  given  from  one  of  them,  which  wounded 
Mr.  Tucker  through  the  hip  so  severely  that  his  leg  hung 
only  by  the  flesh,  and  shot  Mr.  Light  just  below  his  ribs. 
The  three  canoes  placed  themselves  at  the  bow,  stern,  and 
on  the  right  side  of  the  boat,  so  that  they  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  raking  in  every  direction.  The  fire  now  com- 
menced from  the  boat,  and  had  a  powerful  efiect  in  check- 
ing the  confidence  and  fury  of  the  Indians.  The  captain 
after  firing  his  own  gun,  took  up  that  of  one  of  the  wounded 
men,  raised  it  to  his  shoulder,  and  was  about  to  discharge 
it,  when  a  ball  came  and  took  away  the  lock ;  he  coolly 
turned  round,  seized  a  brand  of  fire  from  the  kettle  which 
served  for  a  caboose,  and  applying  it  to  the  pan,  discharged 


A  SIOUX  CHIEF. 


12 


I 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  IIUBI5ELL. 


179 


the  piece  with  effect.  A  very  regular  and  constant  fire 
was  now  kept  up  on  both  sides.  The  captain  was  just  in 
the  act  of  raising  his  gun  a  third  time,  when  a  ball  passed 
through  his  right  arm,  and  for  a  moment  disabled  him. 
Scarcely  had  he  recovered  from  the  shock,  and  re-acquired 
the  use  of  his  hand,  which  had  been  suddenly  drawn  up 
by  the  wound,  when  he  observed  the  Indians  in  one  of  the 
canoes  just  about  to  board  the  boat  in  its  bow,  where  the 
horses  were  placed  belonging  to  the  party.  So  near  had 
they  approached,  that  some  of  them  had  actually  seized 
with  their  hands  the  side  of  the  boat.  Severely  wounded 
as  he  was,  he  caught  up  a  pair  of  horsemen's  pistols  and 
rushed  forward  to  repel  the  attempt  at  boarding.  On  his 
approach  the  Indians  fell  back,  and  he  discharged  a  pistol 
with  effect  at  the  foremost  man.  After  firing  the  second 
pistil,  he  found  himself  without  arms,  and  was  compelled 
to  retreat ;  but  stepping  back  on  a  pile  of  small  wood  which 
had  been  prepared  for  burning  in  the  kettle,  the  thought 
struck  him,  that  it  might  be  made  use  of  in  repelling  the 
foe,  and  he  continued  for  some  time  to  strike  them  with  it 
so  forcibly  and  actively,  that  they  were  unable  to  enter 
the  boat,  and  at  length  he  wounded  one  of  them  so  severely 
that  with  a  yell  they  suddenly  gave  way.  All  the  canoes 
then  discontinued  the  contest,  and  directed  their  course  to 
Captain  Greathouse's  boat,  which  was  in  sight.  Here  a 
striking  contrast  was  exhibited  to  the  firmness  and  intre- 
pidity which  had  been  displayed.  Instead  of  resisting  the 
attack,  the  people  on  board  of  this  boat  retired  to  the  cabin 
in  dismay.  The  Indians  entered  it  without  opposition,  and 
rowed  it  to  the  shore,  where  they  killed  t}ie  captain  and 


180 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


a  lad  of  about  fourteen  years  of  age.  The  women  they 
placed  in  the  centre  of  their  canoes,  and  manning  them 
with  fresh  hands,  again  pursued  Captain  Hubbell  and  party, 
A  melancholy  alternative  now  presented  itself  to  these 
brave  but  almost  desponding  men,  either  to  fall  a  prey  to 
the  savages  themselves,  or  to  run  the  risk  of  shooting  the 
women,  who  had  been  placed  in  the  canoes  in  the  hope  of 
deriving  protection  from  their  presence.  But  "  self  pre- 
servation is  the  first  law  of  nature,"  and  the  captain  very 
justly  remarked,  there  would  not  be  much  humanity  in 
preserving  their  lives  at  such  a  sacrifice,  merely  that  they 
might  become  victims  of  savage  cruelty  at  some  subsequent 
period. 

There  were  now  but  four  men  left  on  boa,rd  of  Captain 
Hubbell's  boat,  capable  of  defending  it,  and  the  captain 
himself  was  severely  wounded  in  two  places.  The  second 
attack,  however,  was  resisted  with  almost  incredible  firm- 
ness and  vigor.  Whenever  the  Indians  would  rise  to  fire, 
their  opponents  would  frequently  give  them  the  first  shot, 
which  in  almost  every  instance  would  prove  fatal.  Not- 
withstanding the  disparity  of  numbers,  and  the  exhausted 
condition  of  the  defenders  of  the  boat,  the  Indian^  at 
length  appeared  to  despair  of  success,  and  the  canoes  suc- 
cessively retired  to  the  shore.  Just  as  the  last  one  was 
departing.  Captain  Hubbell  called  to  the  Indian,  who  was 
standing  in  the  stern,  and  on  his  turning  round,  discharged 
his  piece  at  him.  When  the  smoke,  which  for  a  moment 
obstructed  the  vision,  was  dissipated,  he  was  seen  lying  on 
his  back,  and  appeared  to  be  severely,  perhaps  mortally 
wounded. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  IIUBBELL. 


181 


Unfortunately  the  boat  now  drifted  near  to  the  shore, 
where  the  Indians  were  collected,  and  a  large  concourse, 
probably  between  four  and  five  hundred,  were  seen  rushing 
down  on  the  bank.  Ray  and  Plascut,  the  only  men  re- 
maining unhurt,  were  placed  at  the  oars,  and  as  the  boat 
was  not  more  than  twenty  yards  from  the  shore,  it  was 
deemed  prudent  for  all  to  lie  down  in  as  safe  a  position  as 
possible,  and  attempt  to  push  forward  with  the  utmost 
practicable  rapidity.  While  they  continued  in  this  situa- 
tion, nine  balls  were  shot  into  one  oar,  and  ten  into  the 
other,  without  wounding  the  rowers,  who  were  hidden  from 
view,  and  protected  by  the  side  of  the  boat  and  the  blankets 
in  its  stern.  During  this  dreadful  exposure  to  the  fire  of 
the  savages,  which  continued  about  twenty  minutes,  Mr. 
Kilpatrick  observed  a  particular  Indian,  whom  he  thought 
a  favorable  mark  for  his  rifle,  and,  notwithstanding  the 
solemn  warning  of  Captain  Hubbell,  rose  to  shoot  him, 
he  immediately  received  a  ball  in  his  mouth,  which  passed 
out  at  the  back  part  of  his  head,  and  was  almost  at  the 
same  moment  shot  through  the  heart.  He  fell  among  the 
horses  that  about  the  same  time  were  killed,  and  presented 
to  his  afflicted  daughters  and  fellow-travellers,  who  were 
witnesses  of  the  awful  occurrence,  a  spectacle  of  horror 
which  we  need  not  further  attempt  to  describe. 

The  boat  was  now  providentially  and  suddenly  carried 
out  into  the  middle  of  the  stream,  and  taken  by  the  current 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy's  balls.  Our  little  band 
reduced  as  they  were  in  numbers,  wounded,  afflicted,  and 
almost  exhausted  by  fatigue,  were  still  unsubdued  in  spirit, 
and  being  assembled  in  all  their  strength,  men,  women, 


182  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

f 

and  cliirdren,  with  an  appearance  of  triumph  gave  three 
hearty  cheers,  calling  to  the  Indians  to  come  on  again,  if 
they  were  fond  of  the  sport. 

Thus  ended  this  awful  conflict,  in  which  out^of  nine 
men,  two  only  escaped  unhurt.  Tucker  and  Kilpatrick 
were  killed  on  the  spot,  Stoner  was  mortally  wounded,  and 
died  on  his  arrival  at  Limestone,  and  all  the  rest,  excepting 
Ray  and  Plascut  were  severely  wounded.  The  women  and 
children  were  all  uninjured,  excepting  a  little  son  of  Mr. 
Plascut,  who,  after  the  battle  was  over,  came  to  the  captain, 
and  with  great  coolness  requested  him  to  take  a  ball  out 
of  his  head.  On  examination,  it  appeared  that  a  bullet 
which  had  passed  through  the  side  of  the  boat,  had  pene- 
trated the  forehead  of  this  little  hero,  and  remained  under 
the  skin.  The  captain  took  it  out,  and  the  youth,  observing 
"  that  is  not  all,"  raised  his  arm,  and  exhibited  a  piece  of 
bone  at  the  point  of  his  elbow,  which  had  been  shot  oiF,  and 
hung  only  by  the  skin.  His  mother  exclaimed,  "  why  did 
you  not  tell  me  of  this  ?"  "  Because,"  he  coolly  replied, 
"  the  captain  directed  us  to  be  silent  during  the  action,  and 
I  thought  you  would  be  likely  to  make  a  noise  if  I  told  you." 

The  boat  made  the  best  of  its  way  down  the  river,  and 
reached  Limestone  that  night.  From  that  time  forth  no 
boat  was  assailed  by  Indians  on  the  Ohio. 


CORNSTALK. 


Cornstalk,  the  commander  of  the  Indians  in  the  battle 
of  Point  Pleasant,  was  possessed  of  a  noble  heart  as  well 
as  a  genius  for  war  and  negotiation.  He  was  ever  anxious 
to  maintain  an  honorable  place  with  the  whites  and  they  re- 
turned his  friendly  inclination  by  putting  him  to  death. 

A  Captain  Arbuckle  commanded  the  garrison  of  the  fort, 
erected  at  Point  Pleasant,  after  the  battle  fought  by  Ge- 
neral Lewis  with  the  Indians  at  that  place,  in  October, 
1774.  In  the  succeeding  year,  when  the  revolutionary  war 
had  commenced,  the  agents  of  Great  Britain  exerted  them- 
selves to  excite  the  Indians  to  hostility  against  the  United 

(185) 


186  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

States.  The  mass  of  Shawanees  entertained  a  strong  ani- 
mosity against  the  Americans.  But,  two  of  their  chiefs, 
Cornstalk  and  Redhawk,  not  participating  in  that  animosity 
visited  the  garrison  at  the  Point,  where  Arbuckle  continued 
to  command.  Cornstalk  represented  his  unwillingness  to 
take  a  part  in  the  war,  on  the  British  side :  but  stated, 
that  his  nation,  except  himself  and  his  tribe,  were  deter- 
mined on  war  with  us,  and  he  supposed,  that  he  and  his 
people  would  be  compelled  to  go  with  the  stream.  On  this 
intimation,  Arbuckle  resolved  to  detain  the  two  chiefs,  and 
a  third  Shawanees,  who  came  with  them  to  the  fort,  as 
hostages,  under  the  expectation  of  preventing  thereby  any 
hostile  efforts  of  the  nation.  On  the  day  before  these  un- 
fortunate Indians  fell  victims  to  the  fury  of  the  garrison, 
Elenipsico,  the  son  of  Cornstalk,  repaired  to  Point  Pleasant 
for  the  purpose  of  visiting  his  father,  and  on  the  next  day, 
two  men  belonging  to  the  garrison,  whose  names  were 
Hamilton  and  Gillmore,  crossed  the  Kenhawa,  intending 
to  hunt  in  the  woods  beyond  it. — On  their  return  from 
hunting,  some  Indians  who  had  come  to  view  the  position 
at  the  Point,  concealed  themselves  in  the  weeds  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Kenhawa,  and  killed  Gillmore  while  endea- 
voring to  pass  them.  Colonel  Stewart  and  Captain  Ar- 
buckle were  standing  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the  river,  at 
that  time  and  were  surprised  that  a  gun  had  been  fired  so 
near  the  fort,  in  violation  of  orders  which  had  been  issued 
inhibiting  such  an  act.  Hamilton  ran  down  the  bank,  and 
cried  out  .that  Gillmore  was  killed.  Captain  Hall  com- 
manded the  company  to  which  Gillmore  belonged.  His 
men  leaped  into  a  canoe,  and  hastened  to  the  relief  of 


MURDER  OF  CORNSTALK  AND  HIS  SON.  187 

Hamilton.  They  brought  the  body  of  Gillmore  weltering 
in  blood,  and  the  head  scalped,  across  the  river.  The  canoe 
had  scarcely  reached  the  shore,  when  Hall's  men  cried  out 
"  Let  us  kill  the  Indians  in  the  fort."  Captain  Hall  placed 
himself  in  front  of  his  soldiers,  and  they  ascended  the 
river's  bank,  pale  with  rage,  and  carrying  their  loaded  fire 
locks  in  their  hands.  Colonel  Stewart  and  Captain  Arbuckle 
exerted  themselves  in  vain,  to  dissuade  these  men,  exas- 
perated to  madness  by  the  spectacle  of  Gillmore's  corpse, 
from  the  cruel  deed  which  they  contemplated.  They  cocked 
their  guns,  threatening  those  gentlemen  with  instant  death, 
if  they  did  not  desist,  and  rushed  into  the  fort. 

The  interpreter's  wife,  who  had  been  a  captive  among 
the  Indians,  and  felt  an  affection  for  them,  ran  to  their 
cabin  and  informed  them  that  Hall's  soldiers  were  advanc- 
ing with  the  intention  of  taking  their  lives,  because  they 
believed  that  the  Indians  who  killed  Gillmore,  had  come 
with  Cornstalk's  son  the  preceding  day.  This  the  young 
man  solemnly  denied,  and  averred  that  he  knew  nothing 
of  them.  His  father,  perceiving  that  Elenipsico  was  in 
great  agitation,  encouraged  him  and  advised  him  not  to 
fear.  "  If  the  great  Spirit,"  said  he,  "  has  sent  you  here  to 
be  killed,  you  ought  to  die  like  a  man !"  As  the  soldiers 
approached  the  door.  Cornstalk  rose  to  meet  them,  and 
received  seven  or  eight  balls  which  instantly  terminated 
his  existence.  His  son  was  shot  dead  in  the  seat  which  he 
occupied.  The  Red  Hawk  made  an  attempt  to  climb  the 
chimney,  but  fell  by  the  fire  of  some  of  Hall's  men.  The 
other  Indian,  says  Colonel  Stewart,  "was  shamefully  man- 
gled, and  I  grieved  to  see  him  so  long  dying." 


188 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


This  atrocious  deed  so  exasperated  the  Shawanees  that 
they  immediately  took  up  arms  upon  the  side  of  the  British, 
expressing  their  resolution  to  spare  no  American  who  should 
fall  into  their  hands,  and  never  to  lay  down  arms  while 
there  was  the  remotest  chance  of  successful  hostility.  Many 
a  family  in  Virginia  and  Kentucky  had  reason  to  lament 
the  slaugfeter  of  the  noble  Cornstalk  and  his  son. 


If|e  1)([^§3^cS*e  of 

On  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Chicago,  a  fort  was 
erected  in  1803.  Feeling  secure  under  this  protection, 
several  families  built  cabins  and  began  to  cultivate  the 
ground  in  the  vicinity.  The  large  and  powerful  tribe  of 
Pottawatomies  occupied  the  neighboring  country.  When 
the  war  of  1812  broke  out,  the  fort  at  Chicago  was  gar- 
risoned by  about  fifty  men,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Heald,  and  as  it  was  so  remote  from  the  other  American 

(189) 


190 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


posts,  General  Hull  determined  that  it  should  be  abandoned. 
The  following  account  of  the  subsequent  disastrous  events 
is  abridged  from  Brown's  History  of  Illinois. 
'  On  the  7th  of  August,  1812,  in  the  afternoon,  Winne- 
meg,  or  Catfish,  a  friendly  Indian  of  the  Pottawatomie 
tribe,  arrived  at  Chicago,  and  brought  dispatches  from 
General  Hull,  containg  the  first,  and,  at  that  time,  the  only 
intelligence  of  the  declaration  of  war.  General  Hull's 
letter  announced  the  capture  of  Mackinaw,  and  directed 
Captain  Heald  "  to  evacuate  the  fort  at  Chicago,  if  prac- 
ticable, and,  in  that  event,  to  distribute  all  the  United 
States  property  contained  in  the  fort,  and  the  United  States 
factory  or  agency,  among  the  Indians  in  the  neighborhood 
and  repair  to  Fort  Wayne."  Winnimeg  having  delivered 
his  dispatches  to  Captain  Heald,  and  stated  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  the  purport  of  the  communication  he  had 
brought,  urged  upon  Captain  Heald  the  policy  of  remain- 
ing in  the  fort,  being  supplied,  as  they  were,  with  ammu- 
nition and  provisions  for  a  considerable  time.  In  case, 
however.  Captain  Heald  thought  proper  to  evacuate  the 
place,  he  urged  upon  him  the  propriety  of  doing  so  imme- 
diately, before  the  Pottawatomies  (through  whose  country 
they  must  pass,  and  who  were  as  yet  ignorant  of  the  object 
of  his  mission)  could  collect  a  force  sufficient  to  oppose 
them.  This  advice  though  given  in  great  earnestness,  was 
not  sufficiently  regarded  by  Captain  Heald  ;  who  observed, 
that  he  should  evacuate  the  fort,  but  having  received  orders 
to  distribute  the  public  property  among  the  Indians,  he  did 
not  feel  justified  in  leaving  it  until  he  had  collected  the 
Pottawatomies  in  its  vicinity,  and  made  an  equitable  dis- 


CAPTAIN  HEALD  IN  COUNCIL  WITH  THE  POTTAWATAMIES. 


I 
I 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  CHICAGO. 


193 


tribution  among  them.  Winnemeg  then  suggested  the  ex- 
pediency of  marching  out  and  leaving  every  thing  standing ; 
"  while  the  Indians,"  said  he,  "  are  dividing  the  spoils,  the 
troops  will  be  able  to  retreat  without  molestation."  This 
advice  was  also  unheeded,  and  an  order  for  evacuating  the 
fort  was  read  next  morning  on  parade.  Captain  Heald, 
in  issuing  it,  had  neglected  to  consult  his  junior  oiEcers,  as 
it  would  have  been  natural  for  him  to  do  in  such  an  emer- 
gency, and  as  he  probably  would  have  done  had  there  not 
been  some  coolness  between  him  and  Ensign  Ronan. 

The  lieutenant  and  ensign,  after  the  promulgation  of 
this  order,  waited  on  Captain  Heald  to  learn  his  intentions  ; 
and  being  apprized ;  for  the  first  time,  of  the  course  he  in- 
tended to  pursue,  they  remonstrated  against  it.  Heald, 
however,  deemed  it  advisable  to  assemble  the  Indians  and 
distribute  the  public  property  among  them,  and  ask  of 
them  an  escort  thither,  with  the  promise  of  a  considerable 
sum  of  money  to  be  paid  on  their  safe  arrival ;  adding, 
that  he  had  perfect  confidence  in  the  friendly  professions 
of  the  Indians,  from  whom,  as  well  as  from  the  soldiers, 
the  capture  of  Mackinaw  had  studiously  been  concealed. 
From  this  time  forward,  the  junior  officers  stood  aloof  from 
their  commander,  and,  considering  his  project  as  little 
short  of  madness,  conversed  as  little  upon  the  subject  as 
possible.  Dissatisfaction,  however,  soon  filled  the  camp ; 
the  soldiers  began  to  murmur,  and  insubordination  assumed 
a  threatening  aspect. 

The  savages,  in  the  mean  time  became  more  and  more 

troublesome ;  entered  the  fort  occasionally,  in  defiance  of 

the  sentinels,  and  even  made  their  way  without  ceremony 
18 


194 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


into  the  quarters  of  its  commanding  officer.  On  one  oc- 
casion an  Indian,  taking  up  a  rifle  fired  it  in  the  parlor  of 
Captain  Heald ;  some  were  of  opinion  that  this  was  intended 
as  the  signal  for  an  attack.  The  old  chiefs  at  this  time 
passed  back  and  forth  among  the  assembled  groups,  appa- 
rently agitated ;  and  the  squaws  seemed  much  excited,  as 
though  some  terrible  calamity  was  impending.  No  further 
manifestations,  however,  of  ill-feeling  were  exhibited,  aijd 
the  day  passed  without  bloodshed.  So  infatuated  at  this 
time  was  Captain  Heald,  that  he  supposed  he  had  wrought 
a  favorable  impression  upon  the  savages,  and  that  the  little 
garrison  could  now  march  forth  in  safety. 

The  Indians  from  the  adjacent  villages  having  at  length 
arrived,  a  council  was  held  on  the  12th  of  August.  It  was 
attended,  however,  only  by  Captain  Heald  on  the  part  of 
the  military ;  the  other  officers  refused  to  attend,  having 
previously  learned  that  a  massacre  was  intended.  This 
fact  was  communicated  to  Captain  Heald ;  he  insisted, 
however,  on  theu'  going,  and  they  resolutely  persisted  in 
their  refusal.  When  Captain  Heald  left  the  fort,  they  re- 
paired to  the  blockhouse,  which  overlooked  the  ground 
where  the  council  was  in  session,  and  opening  the  port- 
holes, pointed  their  cannon  in  its  direction.  This  circum- 
stance and  their  absence,  it  is  supposed,  saved  the  whites 
from  massacre. 

Captain  Heald  informed  the  Indians  in  council,  that  he 
would  next  day  distribute  among  them  all  the  goods  in  the 
United  States  factory,  together  with  the  ammunition  and 
provisions  with  which  the  garrison  was  supplied ;  and  de- 
sired of  them  an  escort  to  Fort  Wayne,  promising  them  a 


BATTLE  BETWEEN  MOUNTED  TROOPS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 


I 


• 


I 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  CHICAGO. 


197 


reward  on  their  arrival  thither,  in  addition  to  the  presents 
they  were  about  to  receive.  The  savages  assented,  with 
professions  of  friendship,  to  all  he  proposed,  and  promised 
all  he  required. 

The  council  was  no  sooner  dismissed,  than  several  ob- 
serving the  tone  of  feeling  which  prevailed,  and  anticipat- 
ing from  it  no  good  to  the  garrison,  waited  on  Captain 
Heald  in  order  to  open  his  eyes,  if  possible,  to  their  con- 
dition. The  impolicy  of  furnishing  the  Indians  with  arms 
and  ammunition  to  be  used  against  themselves,  struck  Cap- 
tain Heald  with  so  much  force,  that  he  resolved,  without 
consulting  his  officers,  to  destroy  all  not  required  for  im- 
mediate use. 

On  August  13th,  the  goods  in  the  factory  store  were 
distributed  among  the  Indians,  who  had  collected  near  the 
fort ;  and  in  the  evening  the  ammunition,  and  also  the 
liquor,  belonging  to  th6  garrison,  were  carried,  the  former 
into  the  sally-port  and  thrown  into  the  well,  and  the  latter 
through  the  south  gate,  as  silently  as  possible,  to  the  river 
bank,  where  the  heads  of  the  barrels  were  knocked  in,  and 
their  contents  discharged  into  the  stream.  The  Indians, 
however,  suspecting  the  game,  approached  as  near  as  pos- 
sible and  witnessed  the  whole  scene.  The  spare  muskets 
were  broken  up  and  thrown  into  the  well,  together  with 
bags  of  shot,  flints,  and  gun-screws,  and  other  things ;  all, 
however,  of  but  little  value. 

On  the  14th,  the  despondency  of  the  garrison  was  for  a 
while  dispelled  by  the  arrival  of  Captain  Well  and  fifteeu 
friendly  Miamies.  Having  heard  at  Fort  Wayne  of  the 
error  to  evacuate  Chicago,  and  knowing  the  hostile  inten- 


198 


I 

HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


tions'of  the  Pottawatomies,  he  hastened  thither  in  order 
to  save,  if  possible,  the  little  garrison  from  its  doom. 
Having,  on  his  arrival,  learned  that  the  ammunition  had 
been  destroyed,  and  the  provisions  distributed  among  the 
Indians,  he  saw  there  was  no  alternative.  Preparations 
were  therefore  made  for  marching  on  the  morrow. 

In  the  afternoon  a  second  council  was  held  with  the 
Indians,  at  which  they  expressed  their  resentment  at  the 
destruction  of  the  ammunition  and  liquor  in  the  severest 
terms.  Notwithstanding  the  precautions  which  had  been 
observed,  the  knocking  in  of  the  heads  of  the  whisky- 
barrels  had  been  heard  by  the  Indians,  and  the  river  next 
morning  tasted,  as  some  of  them  expressed  it,  "  like  strong 
grog."  Murmurs  and  threats  were  everywhere  heard; 
and  nothing,  apparently, 'was  wanting  but  an  opportunity 
for  some  public  manifestation  of  their  resentment. 

The  morning  of  the  15th  dawned  as  usual ;  the  sun  rose 
with  uncommon  splendor,  and  Lake  Michigan  "  was  a  sheet 
of  burnished  gold."  Early  in  the  day  a  message  was  re- 
ceived in  the  American  camp  from  To-pee-na-bee,  a  chief 
of  the  St.  Joseph's  band,  informing  them  that  mischief 
was  brewing  among  the  Pottawatomies,  who  had  promised 
them  protection. 

About  nine  o'clock,  the  troops  left  the  fort  with  martial 
music,  and  in  military  array.  Captain  Wells,  at  the  head 
of  the  Miamies,  led  the  van,  his  face  blackened  after  the 
manner  of  the  Indians.  The  garrison,  with  loaded  arms, 
followed,  and  the  wagons  with  the  baggage,  the  women  and 
children,  the  sick  and  the  lame,  closed  the  rear.  The  Pot- 
tawatomies, about  five  hundred  in  number,  who  had  pro- 


TO-PEE-NA-BEE. 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  CHICAGO. 


201 


mised  to  escort  them  in  safety  to  Fort  Wayne  leaving  a 
little  space,  afterward  followed.  The  party  in  advance 
took  the  beach  road.  They  had  no  sooner  arrived  at  the 
sand-hills  which  separate  the  prairie  from  the  beach,  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  fort,  when  the  Pottawatomies, 
instead  of  continuing  in  rear  of  the  Americans,  left  the 
beach  and  took  to  the  prairie ;  the  sand-hills  of  course 
intervened,  and  presented  a  barrier  between  the  Pottawa- 
tomies and  the  American  and  Miami  line  of  march.  This 
divergence  had  scarcely  been  effected,  when  Captain  Wells, 
who,  with  the  Miamies  was  considerably  in  advance,  rode 
back  and  exclaimed,  "  They  are  about  to  attack  us  ;  form 
instantly  and  charge  upon  them."  The  word  had  scarcely 
been  uttered,  before  a  volley  of  musketry  from  behind  the 
sand-hills  was  poured  in  upon  them.  The  troops  were 
brought  immediately  into  a  line  and  charged  upon  the  bank. 
One  man,  a  veteran  of  seventy,  fell  as  they  ascended.  The 
battle  at  once  became  general.  The  Miamies  fled  in  the 
outset ;  their  chief  rode  up  to  the  Pottawatomies,  charged 
them  with  duplicity,  and,  brandishing  his  tomahawk,  said, 
"he  would  be  the  first  to  head  a  party  of  Americans,  and 
return  to  punish  them  for  their  treachery. ' '  He  theu  turned 
his  horse  and  galloped  off  in  pursuit  of  his  companions,  who 
were  then  scouring  across  the  prairie,  and  nothing  was  seen 
or  heard  of  them  more. 

The  American  troops  behaved  gallantly ;  though  few  in 
number,  they  sold  their  lives  as  dearly  as  possible.  They 
felt,  however,  as  if  their  time  had  come,  and  sought  to  forget 
all  that  was  dear  on  earth. 

While  the  battle  was  raging,  the  surgeon,  Doctor  Voorhes, 


202 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


who  was  badly  wounded,  and  whose  horse  had  been  shot 
from  under  him,  approaching  Mrs.  Helm,  the  wife  of  Lieu- 
tenant Helm,  (who  was  in  the  action,  participating  in  all 
its  vicissitudes,)  observed,  "  Do  you  think,"  said  he,  "  they 
will  take  our  lives  ?  I  am  badly  wounded,  but  I  think  not 
mortally.  Perhaps  we  can  purchase  safety  by  offering  a 
large  reward.  Do  you  think,"  continued  he,  "  there  is  any 
chance  ?" 

"  Doctor  Voorhes,"  replied  Mrs.  Helm,  "let  us  not  waste 
the  few  moments  which  yet  remain  in  idle  or  ill-founded 
hopes.  Our  fate  is  inevitable ;  we  must  soon  appear  at 
the  bar  of  God  ;  let  us  make  such  preparations  as  are  yet 
in  our  power." 

"  Oh,"  said  he,  "  I  cannot  die ;  I  am  unfit  to  die  !  If 
I  had  a  short  time  to  prepare  !   Death  !  oh,  how  awful !" 

At  this  moment,  Ensign  Ronan  was  fighting  at  a  little 
distance  with  a  tall  and  portly  Indian ;  the  former,  mor- 
tally wounded,  was  nearly  down,  and  struggling  desperately 
upon  one  knee.  Mrs.  Helm,  pointing  her  finger,  and  di- 
recting the  attention  of  Doctor  Voorhes  thither,  observed, 
"Look,"  said  she,  "at  that  young  man;  he  dies  like  a 
soldier." 

"  Yes,"  said  Doctor  Voorhes,  "  but  he  has  no  terrors  of 
the  future  ;  he  is  an  unbeliever." 

A  young  savage  immediately  raised  his  tomahawk  to 
strike  Mrs.  Helm.  She  sprang  instantly  aside,  and  the 
blow  intended  for  her  head  fell  upon  her  shoulder ;  she 
thereupon  seized  him  around  his  neck,  and  while  exerting 
all  her  efforts  to  get  possession  of  his  scalping-knife,  was 
seized  by  another  Indian  and  dragged  forcibly  from,  his 


THE  MASSACRE. 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  CHICAGO. 


205 


grasp.  The  latter  bore  her,  struggling  and  resisting,  to- 
ward the  lake.  Notwithstanding,  however,  the  rapidity 
with  which  she  was  hurried  along,  she  recognized,  as  she 
passed,  the  remains  of  the  unfortunate  surgeon  stretched 
lifeless  on  the  prairie.  She  was  plunged  immediately  into 
the  water  and  held  there,  notwithstanding  her  resistance, 
with  a  forcible  hand.  She  shortly,  however,  perceived  that 
the  intention  of  her  captor  was  not  to  drown  her,  as  he  held 
her  in  a  position  to  keep  her  head  above  the  water.  Thus 
reassured,  she  looked  at  him  attentively,  and,  in  spite  of 
his  disguise,  recognized  the  "  white  man's  friend."  It  was 
Black  Partridge. 

When  the  firing  had  ceased,  her  preserver  bore  her  from 
the  water  and  conducted  her  up  the  sand-bank.  It  was  a 
beautiful  day  in  August.  The  heat,  however,  of  the  sun 
was  oppressive ;  and,  walking  through  the  sand,  exposed 
to  its  burning  rays,  in  her  drenched  condition — weary,  and 
exhausted  by  efforts  beyond  her  strength — anxious  beyond 
measure  to  learn  the  fate  of  her  friends,  and  alarmed  for 
her  own,  her  situation  was  one  of  agony. 

The  troops  having  fought  with  desperation  till  two-thirds 
of  their  number  were  slain,  the  remainder  twenty-seven  in 
all,  borne  down  by  an  overwhelming  force,  and  exhausted 
by  efforts  hitherto  unequalled,  at  length  surrendered.  They 
stipulated,  however,  for  their  own  safety  and  for  the  safety 
of  their  remaining  women  and  children.  The  wounded 
prisoners,  however,  in  the  hurry  of  the  moment,  were  un- 
fortunately omitted,  or  rather  not  particularly  mentioned 
and  were  therefore  regarded  by  the  Indians  as  having  been 
excluded. 


206 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


One  of  the  soldiers'  wives,  having  frequently  been  told 
that  prisoners  taken  by  the  Indians  were  subjected  to  tor- 
tures worse  than  death,  had  from  the  first  expressed  a  reso- 
lution never  to  be  taken ;  and  when  a  party  of  savages 
approached  to  make  her  their  prisoner,  she  fought  with 
desperation  ;  and,  though  assured  of  kind  treatment  and 
protection,  refused  to  surrender,  and  was  literally  cut  in 
pieces  and  her  mangled  remains  left  on  the  field. 

After  the  surrender,  one  of  the  baggage  wagons,  con- 
taining twelve  children,  was  assailed  by  a  single  savage 
and  the  whole  number  were  massacred.  All,  without  dis- 
tinction of  age  or  sex,  fell  at  once  beneath  his  murderous 
tomahawk. 

Captain  Wells,  who  had  as  yet  escaped  unharmed,  saw 
from  a  distance  the  whole  of  this  murderous  scene ;  and 
being  apprized  of  the  stipulation,  and  seeing  it  thus  violated, 
exclaimed  aloud,  so  as  to  be  heard  by  the  Pottawatomies 
around  him,  whose  prisoner  he  then  was,  "  If  this  be  your 
game,  I  will  kill  too !"  and  turning  his  horse's  head,  in- 
stantly started  for  the  Pottawatomie  camp,  where  the 
squaws  and  Indian  children  had  been  left  ere  the  battle 
began.  He  had  no  sooner  started,  than  several  Indians 
followed  in  his  rear  and  discharged  their  rifles  at  him  as 
he  galloped  across  the  prairie.  He  laid  himself  flat  on  the 
neck  of  his  horse,  and  was  apparently  out  of  their  reach, 
when  the  ball  of  one  of  his  pursuers  took  effect,  killing  his 
horse  and  wounding  him  severely.  He  was  again  a  pri- 
soner ;  as  the  savages  came  up,  Winnemeg  and  Wa-ban-see, 
two  of  their  number,  and  both  his  friends,  used  all  their 
endeavors  in  order  to  save  him ;  they  had  disengaged  him 


WINNIMEG,  OR  THE  CATFISH. 


THE  MASSACRE  OF  CHICAGO. 


209 


already  from  his  horse,  and  were  supporting  him  along, 
when  Pee-so-tum,  a  Pottawatomie  Indian,  drawing  his 
scalping-knife,  stabbed  him  in  the  back,  and  thus  inflicted 
a  mortal  wound.  After  struggling  for  a  moment  he  fell, 
and  breathed  his  last  in  the  arms  of  his  friends,  a  victim 
for  those  he  had  sought  to  save — a  sacrifice  to  his  own  rash 
intentions. 

The  battle  having  ended,  and  the  prisoners  being  se- 
cured, the  latter  were  conducted  to  the  Pottawatomie  camp 
near  the  fort.  Here  the  wife  of  Wau-bee-nee-mah,  an  Il- 
linois chief,  perceiving  the  exhausted  condition  of  Mrs. 
Helm,  took  a  kettle,  and  dipping  up  some  water  from  the 
stream  which  flowed  sluggishly  by  them,  threw  into  it  some 
maple  sugar,  and,  stirring  it  up  with  her  hand,  gave  her 
to  drink.  "  It  was,"  says  Mrs.  Helm,  "  the  most  delicious 
draught  I  had  ever  taken,  and  her  kindness  of  manner, 
amid  so  much  atrocity,  touched  my  heart."  Her  attention, 
however,  was  soon  directed  to  other  objects.  The  fort, 
after  the  troops  had  marched  out,  became  a  scene  of  plunder. 
The  cattle  were  shot  down  as  they  ran  at  large,  and  lay 
dead,  or  were  dying  around  her.  It  called  up  afresh  a 
remark  of  Ensign  Ronan's,  made  before;  "Such,"  said 
he,  ''is  to  be  our  fate — to  be  shot  down  like  brutes." 

The  wounded  prisoners,  we  have  already  remarked,  were 
not  included  in  the  stipulation  made  on  the  battle-field,  as 
the  Indians  understood  it.  On  reaching,  therefore,  the 
Pottawatomie  camp,  a  scene  followed  which  beggars  de- 
scription. A  wounded  soldier,  lying  on  the  ground,  was 
violently  assaulted  by  an  old  squaw,  infuriated  by  the  loss 
of  friends  or  excited  by  the  murderous  scenes  around  her — 
14 


210 


HEROES  OF  THE  WE6T. 


who,  seizing  a  pitchfork,  attacked  the  wretched  victim,  no^ 
helpless,  and  exposed  to  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun,  hi? 
wounds  already  aggravated  by  its  heat,  and  he  writhing 
in  torture.  During  the  succeeding  night,  five.other  wounded 
prisoners  were  tomahawked. 

Those  unwounded  remained  in  the  wigwams  of  their 
captors.  The  work  of  plunder  being  now  completed,  the 
fort  next  day  was  set  on  fire.  A  fair  and  equal  distribu- 
tion of  all  the  finery  belonging  to  the  garrison  had  appa- 
rently been  made,  and  shawls  and  ribands  and  feathers 
were  scattered  about  the  camp  in  great  profusion. 

After  suffering  many  hardships,  Mrs.  Helm,  Mrs.  Heald, 
and  the  surviving  male  prisoners  were  ransomed  and  sent 
back  to  their  friends.  A  few  of  them,  however,  were  not 
set  at  liberty  until  after  the  battle  of  the  Thames. 


In  August,  1786,  Mr.  Francis  Downing,  then  a  lad, 
was  living  in  a  fort,  where  subsequently  some  iron  works 
were  erected  by  Mr.  Jacob  i\Iyers,  which  are  now  known 
by  the  name  of  Slate  Creek  works.  About  the  16th,  a 
young  man  belonging  to  the  fort,  called  upon  Downing, 
and  requested  his  assistance  in  hunting  for  a  horse  which 
had  strayed  away  on  the  preceding  evening.  Downing 
readily  complied,  and  the  two  friends  traversed  the  woods 
in  every  direction,  until  at  length,  towards  evening,  they 
found  themselves  in  a  wild  valley,  at  a  distance  of  six  or 
seven  miles, from  the  fort.  Here  Downing  became  alarmed 
and  repeatedly  assured  his  elder  companion,  (whose  name 

(211) 


212 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


was  Yates,)  that  he  heard  sticks  cracking  behind  them, 
and  was  confident  that  Indians  were  dogging  them.  Yates, 
being  an  experienced  hunter,  and  from  habit  grown  indif- 
ferent to  the  dangers  of  the  woods,  diverted  himself  freely 
at  the  expense  of  his  young  companion,  often  inquiring, 
at  what  price  he  rated  his  scalp,  and  offering  to  ensure  it 
for  sixpence.  Downing,  however,  was  not  so  easily  satisfied. 
He  observed,  that  in  whatever  direction  they  turned,  the 
same  ominous  sounds  continued  to  haunt  them,  and  as 
Yates  still  treated  his  fears  with  the  most  perfect  indiffe- 
rence, he  determined  to  take  his  measures  upon  his  own 
responsibility.  Gradually  slackening  his  pace,  he  permitted 
Yates  to  advance  twenty  or  thirty  steps  in  front  of  him, 
and  immediately  after  descending  a  gentle  hill,  he  suddenly 
sprung  aside  and  hid  himself  in  a  thick  cluster  of  whortle- 
berry bushes.  Yates,  who  at  that  time  was  performing 
some  woodland  ditty  to  the  full  extent  of  his  lungs,  was 
too  much  pleased  with  his  own  voice,  to  attend  either  to 
Downing  or  the  Indians,  and  was  quickly  out  of  sight. 
Scarcely  had  he  disappeared,  when  Downing,  to  his  un- 
speakable terror,  beheld  two  savages  put  aside  the  stalks 
of  a  canebrake,  and  looked  out  cautiously  in  the  direction 
which  Yates  had  taken.  Fearful  that  they  had  seen  him 
step  aside,  he  determined  to  fire  upon  them,  and  trust  to 
his  heels  for  safety,  but  so  unsteady  was  his  hand,  that  in 
raising  his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  she  went  off"  before  he  had 
taken  aim.  ,  He  lost  no  time  in  following  her  example,  and 
after  having  run  fifty  yards,  he  met  Yates,  who,  alarmed 
at  the  report,  was  hastily  retracing  his  steps.  It  was  not 
necessary  to  inquire  what  was  the  matter.    The  enemy 


DOWNING  ALARMED  AT  THE  NOISE  OF  THE  INDIANS. 


THE  TWO  FRIENDS. 


215 


were  in  full  view,  pressing  forward  with  great  rapidity^  and 
"  devil  take  the  hindmost,"  was  the  order  of  the  day.  Yates 
would  not  outstrip  Downing,  but  ran  by  his  side,  although 
in  so  doing,  he  risked  both  of  their  lives.  The  Indians 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  country,-  and  soon  took  a 
path  that  diverged  from  the  one  which  the  whites  followed, 
at  one  point  and  rejoined  it  at  another,  bearing  the  same 
relation  to  it  that  the  string  does  to  the  bow.  The  two 
paths  were  at  no  point  distant  from  each  other  more  than 
one  hundred  yards,  so  that  Yates  and  Downing  could  easily 
see  the  enemy  gaining  rapidly  upon  them.  They  reached 
the  point  of  re-union,  first,  however,  and  quickly  came  to 
a  deep  gully  which  it  was  necessary  to  recross,  or  retrace 
their  steps.  Yates  cleared  it  without  difficulty,  but  Downing 
being,  much  exhausted,  fell  short,  falling  with  his  breast 
against  the  opposite  brink,  rebounded  with  violence,  and 
fell  at  full  length  on  the  bottom.  The  Indians  crossed  the 
ditch  a  few  yards  below  him,  and,  eager  for  the  capture 
of  Yates,  continued  the  pursuit,  without  appearing  to  notice 
Downing.  The  latter  who  at  first  had  given  himself  up 
for  lost,  quickly  recovered  his  strength,  and  began  to  walk 
slowly  along  the  ditch,  fearing  to  leave  it  lest  the  enemy 
should  see  him.  As  he  advanced,  however,  the  ditch  be- 
came more  shallow,  until  at  length  it  ceased  to  protect  him 
at  all.  Looking  around  cautiously,  he  saw  one  of  the  In- 
dians returning  apparently  in  quest  of  him.  Unfortunately, 
he  had  neglected  to  reload  his  gun,  while  in  the  ditch,  and 
as  the  Indian  instantly  advanced  upon  him,  he  had  no  re- 
source but  flight.  Throwing  away  his  gun,  which  was  now 
useless,  he  plied  his  legs  manfully,  in  ascending  a  long 


ft 


216 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


ridge  which  stretched  before  him,  but  the  Indian  gained 
upon  him  so  rapidly,  that  he  lost  all  hope  of  escape.  Coming 
at  length  to  a  large  poplar  which  had  been  blown  up  by 
the  roots,  he  ran  along  the  body  of  the  tree  upon  one  side 
while  the  Indian  followed  it  upon  the  other,  doubtless  ex- 
pecting to  intercept  him  at  the  root.  It  happened  that  a 
large  she  bear  was  sucking  her  cubs  in  a  bed  which  she  had 
made  at  the  root  of  the  tree,  and  as  the  Indian  reached 
that  point,  she  instantly  sprung  upon  him,  and  a  prodigi- 
ous uproar  took  place.  The  Indian  yelled,  and  stabbed 
■with  his  knife,  the  bear  growled  and  saluted  him  with  one 
of  her  most  endearing  "  hugs  ;" — while  Downing,  fervently 
■wishing  her  success,  ran  off  through  the  woods,  without 
waiting  to  see  the  event  of  the  struggle.  Downing  reached 
the  fort  in  safety,  and  found  Yates  reposing  after  a  hot 
chase,  ha-vdng  eluded  his  pursuers,  and  gained  the  fort  two 
hours  before  him.  On  the  next  morning,  they  collected  a 
party  and  returned  to  the  poplar  tree,  but  no  traces  either 
of  the  Indian  or  bear  were  to  be  found.  They  both  pro- 
bably escaped  with  their  lives,  although  not  without  injury 


THE  DESERTER  ACTING  A3  A  GUIDE. 


i)esertio^  of  ^         ^i]iie  fVoh] 

q  p^rtij  of  ]i]c)i^i]3. 

In  the  year  1787,  the  following  incident  occurred  m 
Bourbon  county  Kentucky.  One  morning,  about  sun  rise, 
a  young  man  of  wild  and  savage  appearance,  suddenly  arose 

(219) 


220 


HEROES  OP  THE  WEST. 


from  a  cluster  of  bushes  in  (ront  of  a  cabin,  and  hailed  the 
house  in  a  barbarous  dialect,  which  seemed  neither  exactly 
Indian  nor  English,  but  a  collection  of  shreds  and  patches 
from  which  the  graces  of  both  were  carefully  excluded. 
His  skin  had  evidently  once  been  white — although  now 
grievously  tanned  by  constant  exposure  to  the  weather. 
His  dress  in  every  respect  was  that  of  an  Indian,  as  were 
his  gestures,  tones  and  equipments,  and  his  age  could  not 
be  supposed  to  exceed  twenty  years.  He  talked  volubly, 
but  uncouthly,  placed  his  hand  upon  his  breast,  gestured 
vehemently,  and  seemed  very  earnestly  bent  upon  commu- 
nicating something.  He  was  invited  to  enter  the  cabin, 
and  the  neighbors  quickly  collected  around  him.  He  ap- 
peared involuntarily  to  shrink  from  contact  with  them — 
his  eyes  rolled  rapidly  around  with  a  distrustful  expression 
from  one  to  the  other,  and  his  whole  manner  was  that  of 
a  wild  animal,  just  caught,  and  shrinking  from  the  touch 
of  its  captors. — As  several  present  understood  the  Indian 
tongue,  they  at  length  gathered  the  following  circumstances 
as  accurately  as  they  could  be  translated,  out  of  a  language 
which  seemed  to  be  an  omnium  gatherum"  of  all  that  was 
mongrel,  uncouth  and  barbarous.  He  said  that  he  had 
been  taken  by  the  Indians,  when  a  child,  but  could  neither 
recollect  his  name,  nor  the  country  of  his  birth. — That  he 
had  been  adopted  by  an  Indian  warrior,  who  brought  him 
up  with  his  other  sons,  without  making  the  slightest  dif- 
ference between  them,  and  that  under  his  father's  roof,  he 
had  lived  happily  until  within  the  last  month.  -  A  few  weeks 
before  that  time,  his  father,  accompanied  by  himself  and 
a  younger  brother,  had  hunted  for  some  time  upon  the 


I 


DESERTION  OF  A  YOUNG  WHITE  MAN  FROM  INDIANS.  223 

waters  of  the  Miami,  about  forty  miles  from  the  spot  where 
Cincinnati  now  stands,  and  after  all  their  meat,  skins,  &c., 
had  been  properly  secured,  the  old  man  determined  to 
gratify  his  children  by  taking  them  upon  a  war  expedition 
to  Kentucky.  They  accordingly  built  a  bark  canoe,  in 
which  they  crossed  the  Ohio,  near  the  mouth  of  Licking, 
and  having  buried  it,  so  as  to  secure  it  from  the  action  of 
the  sun,  they  advanced  into  the  country  and  encamped  at 
the  distance  of  fifteen  miles  from  the  river.  Here  their 
father  was  alarmed  by  hearing  an  owl  cry  in  a  peculiar 
tone,  which  he  declared  boded  death  or  captivity  to  them- 
selves, if  they  continued  their  expedition — and  announced 
his  intention  of  returning  without  delay  to  the  river.  Both 
of  his  sons  vehemently  opposed  this  resolution,  and  at 
length  prevailed  upon  the  old  man  to  disregard  the  owl's 
warning,  and  conduct  them,  as  he  had  promised,  against 
the  frontiers  of  Kentucky.  The  party  then  composed 
themselves  to  sleep,  but  were  quickly  awakened  by  the 
father,  who  had  again  been  warned  in  a  dream  that  death 
awaited  them  in  Kentucky,  and  again  besought  his  children 
to  release  him  from  his  promise  and  lose  no  time  in  re- 
turning home.  Again  they  prevailed  upon  him  to  disre- 
gard the  warning,  and  persevere  in  the  march.  He  con- 
sented to  gratify  them,  but  declared  he  would  not  remain 
a  moment  longer  in  the  camp  which  they  now  occupied, 
and  accordingly  they  left  it  immediately,  and  marched  on 
through  the  night,  directing  their  course  towards  Bourbon 
county.  In  the  evening  they  approached  a  house,  that 
which  he  hailed  and  in  which  he  was  now  speaking.  Sud- 
denly the  desire  of  rejoining  his  people  occupied  his  mind 


224 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


SO  strongly  as  to  exclude  every  other  idea,  and  seizing  the 
first  favorable  opportunity,  he  had  concealed  himself  in 
the  bushes,  and  neglected  to  reply  to  all  the  signals  which 
had  been  concerted  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  their  party 
when  scattered.  This  account  appeared  so  extraordinary, 
and  the  young  man's  appearance  was  so  wild  and  suspicious, 
that  many  of  the  neighbors  suspected  him  of  treachery,  and 
thought  that  he  should  be  arrested  as  a  spy.  Others  op- 
posed this  resolution  and  gave  full  credit  to  his  narrative. 
In  order  to  satisfy  themselves,  however,  they  insisted  upon 
his  immediately  conducting  them  to  the  spot  where  the 
canoe  had  been  buried.  To  this  the  young  man  objected 
most  vehemently,  declaring  that  although  he  had  deserted 
his  father  and  brother,  yet  he  would  not  betray  them. 
These  feelings  were  too  delicate  to  meet  with  much  sym- 
pathy from  the  rude  borderers  who  surrounded  him,  and 
he  was  given  to  understand  that  nothing  short  of  conducting 
them  to  the  point  of  embarkation,  would  be  accepted  as  an 
evidence  of  his  sincerity. — With  obvious  reluctance  he  at 
length  complied.  From  twenty  to  thirty  men  were  quickly 
assembled,  mounted  upon  good  horses,  and  under  the 
guidance  of  the  deserter,  they  moved  rapidly  towards  the 
mouth  of  Licking.  On  the  road  the  young  man  informed 
them  that  he  would  first  conduct  them  to  the  spot,  where 
they  had  encamped  when  the  scream  of  the  owl  alarmed 
his  father,  and  where  an  iron  kettle  had  been  concealed  in 
a  hollow  tree.  He  was  probably  induced  to  do  this  from 
the  hope*  of  delaying  the  pursuit  so  long  as  to  afi"ord  his 
friends  an  opportunity  of  crossing  the  river  in  safety.  But 


DESERTION  OF  A  YOUNG  WHITE  MAN  FROM  INDIANS.  225 


if  such  >vas  his  intention,  no  measure  could  have  been  more 
unfortunate. 

The  whites  approached  the  encampment  in  deep  silence, 
and  quickly  perceived  two  Indians,  an  old  man  and  a  boy, 
seated  by  the  fire  and  busily  engaged  in  cooking  some 
venison. — The  deserter  became  much  agitated  at  the  sight 
of  them,  and  so  earnestly  implored  his  countrymen  not  to 
kill  them,  that  it  was  agreed  to  surround  the  encampment, 
and  endeavor  to  secure  them  as  prisoners.  This  was  ac- 
cordingly attempted,  but  so  desperate  was  the  resistance 
of  the  Indians,  and  so  determined  were  their  eflforts  to  es- 
cape, that  the  whites  were  compelled  to  fire  upon  them, 
and  the  old  man  fell  mortally  wounded,  while  the  boy,  by 
an  incredible  display  of  address  and  activity,  was  enabled 
to  escape.  The  deserter  beheld  his  father  fall,  and  throwing 
himself  from  his  horse,  he  ran  up  to  the  spot  where  the 
old  man  lay  bleeding,  but  still  sensible,  and  falling  upon 
his  body,  besought  his  forgiveness  for  being  the  unwilling 
cause  of  his  death,  and  wept  bitterly.  His  father  evidently 
recognized  him,  and  gave  him  his  hand,  but  almost  in- 
stantly afterwards  expired.  The  white  men  now  called 
upon  him  to  conduct  them  at  a  gallop  to  the  spot  where 
the  canoe  was  buried,  expecting  to  reach  it  before  the  In- 
dian boy  and  intercept  him.  The  deserter  in  vain  implored 
them  to  compassionate  his  feelings.  He  urged  that  he  had 
already  sufficiently  demonstrated  the  truth  of  his  former 
assertions,  at  the  expense  of  his  father's  life,  and  earnestly 
entreated  them  to  permit  his  younger  brother  to  escape. 
His  companions,  however,  were  inexorable.  Nothing  but 
the  blood  of  the  young  Indian  would  satisfy  them,  and  the 

15 


226 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


deserter  was  again  compelled  to  act  in  the  capacity  of  a 
guide. 

Within  two  hours  they  reached  the  designated  spot. 
The  canoe  was  still  there,  and  no  track  could  be  seen  upon 
the  sand,  so  that  it  was  evident  that  their  victim  had  not 
yet  arrived.  Hastily  dismounting,  they  tied  their  horses 
and  concealed  themselves  within  close  rifle  shot  of  the 
canoe.  Within  ten  minutes  after  their  arrival  the  Indian 
appeared  in  sight,  walking  swiftly  towards  them.  He  went 
straight  to  the  spot  where  the  canoe  had  been  buried,  and 
was  in  the  act  of  digging  it  up,  when  he  received  a  dozen 
balls  through  his  body,  and  leaping  high  into  the  air  fell 
dead  upon  the  sand.  He  was  scalped  and  buried  where 
he  fell,  without  having  seen  his  brother,  and  probably 
without  having  known  the  treachery  by  which  he  and  his 
father  had  lost  their  lives.  The  deserter  remained  but  a 
short  time  in  Bourbon,  and  never  regained  his  tranquillity 
of  mind.  He  shortly  afterwards  disappeared,  but  whether 
to  seek  his  relations  in  Virginia  or  Pennsylvania,  or  whether 
disgusted  by  the  ferocity  of  the  whites,  he  returned  to  the 
Indians,  has  never  yet  been  known.  He  was  never  heard 
of  afterwards. 


MORGAN  AND  THE  INDIAN. 


In  1779,  a  Mr.  Morgan,  of  Ricket's  Fort,  West  Vir- 
ginia, was  surprised  in  the  woods  by  two  Indians,  who 
immediately  gave  chase.  Being  old  and  somewhat  infirm, 
he  faltered  in  the  race,  and  was  obliged  to  take  refuge 
behind  a  tree ;  the  Indians  did  the  same,  but  one  of  them 
exposing  his  body,  was  shot  by  Morgan,  and,  after  falling, 
stabbed  himself.  Morgan  again  fled ;  but  his  surviving 
antagonist  gained  rapidly  upon  him,  and  at  length  raised 
his  gun  to  fire.  Morgan  adroitly  stepped  aside,  and  the 
ball  passed  him.    Then  each  rushed  to  closer  combat. 

(229) 


230 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


Morgan,  while  striking  with  his  gun,  received  the  Indian's 
tomahawk,  which  cut  off  a  finger,  and  knocked  the  gun 
from  his  grasp.  Being  an  expert  wrestler,  he  closed,  and 
threw  his  antagonist ;  but  he  was  speedily  overturned, 
when  the  Indian,  uttering  the  customary  yell  of  triumph, 
began  feeling  for  his  knife.  Its  hilt  was  entangled  in  a 
woman's  apron,*  which  the  savage  had  tied  round  his 
waist ;  and  this  apparent  trivial  circumstance  saved  the 
prostrate  hunter.  During  the  search,  Morgan  had  seized 
his  antagonist's  fingers  with  his  teeth,  a  position  in  which 
he  used  all  becoming  exertions  to  keep  them.  Meanwhile 
he  assisted  in  the  search  for  the  knife.  The  Indian  at 
length  seized  it,  but  so  far  towards  the  blade,  that  Mor- 
gan caught  hold  of  the  upper  portion  of  th^  handle,  and 
drew  it  through  his  adversary's  hand,  inflicting  a  deep 
wound.  Both  sprang  erect,  Morgan  still  holding  on  to 
the  Indian's  fingers,  and  having  his  body  within  his  grasp. 
He  had  therefore  all  the  advantage,  and  while  his^oe  was 
struggling  to  (fisengage  himself,  he  plunged  the  knife  to 
the  hilt  in  his  body.  The  daring  hunter  returned  to  the 
fort  in  triumph. 


COLONEL  ZEBULON  BUTLER. 

^^33^cl^e  of  ^^}o^l^}2^' 

The  following  account  of  the  battle  and  massacre  is 
taken  from  an  interesting  history  of  Wyoming,  written  by 
Isaac  Chapman,  Esq.,  late  of  Wilkesbarre.  Judge  Chap- 
man lived  upon  the  spot,  and  could  hardly  fail  to  have 
collected  ample  materials,  and  to  give  a  correct  narrative 
of  the  events  which  transpired  there  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary war.  The  inhabitants  had  collected  in  Forty 
Fort — the  principal  fort  in  the  valley.  The  number  of 
men  was  three  hundred  and  sixty-eight. 

(233) 


"234  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST.  ' 

On  the  morning  of  the  3d  of  July,  1778,  the  officers 
of  the  garrison  of  Forty  Fort  held  a  council  to  determine 
on  the  propriety  of  marching  from  the  fort,  and  attacking 
the  enemy  wherever  found.  The  debates  in  this  council 
of  war  are  said  to  have  been  conducted  with  much  warmth 
and  animation.  The  ultimate  determination  was  one  on 
which  depended  the  lives  of  the  garrison  and  safety  of 
the  settlement.  On  one  side  it  was  contended  that  their 
enemies  were  daily  increasing  in  numbers  ;  that  they  would 
plunder  the  settlement  of  all  kinds  of  property,  and  would 
accumulate  the  means  of  carrying  on  the  war,  while  they 
themselves  would  become  weaker  ;  that  the  harvest  would 
soon  be  ripe,  and  would  be  gathered  or  destroyed  by  their 
enemies,  and  all  their  means  of  sustenance  during  the 
succeeding  winter  would  fail ;  that  probably  all  their 
messengers  were  killed,  and  as  there  had  been  more  than 
sufficient  time,  and  no  assistance  arrived,  they  would  pro- 
bably receive  none,  and  consequently  now  was  the  proper 
time  to  make  an  attack. 

On  the  other  side  it  was  argued,  that  probably  some  or 
all  the  messengers  may  have  arrived  at  head-quarters, 
but  that  the  absence  of  the  commander-in-chief  may  have 
produced  delay ;  that  one  or  two  weeks  more  may  bring 
the  desired  assistance,  and  that  to  attack  the  enemy,  su- 
perior as  they  were  in  number,  out  of  the  limits  of  their 
own  fort,  would  produce  almost  certain  destruction  to  the 
settlements  and  themselves,  and  captivity,  and  slavery, 
perhaps  torture,  to  their  wives  and  children. 

While  these  debates  were  progressing,  five  men  belong- 
ing to  Wyoming,  but  who  at  that  time  held  commissions 


MASSACRE  OF  WYOMING. 


237 


in  the  continental  armj,  arrived  at  the  fort ;  they  had 
received  information  that  a  force  from  Niagara  had 
marched  to  destroy  the  settlements  on  the  Susquehanna, 
and  being  unable  to  bring  with  them  any  reinforcement, 
they  resigned  their  appointments,  and  hastened  immedi- 
ately to  the  protection  of  their  families.  They  had  heard 
nothing  of  the  messengers,  neither  could  they  give  any 
certain  information  as  to  the  probability  of  relief. 

The  prospect  of  receiving  assistance  became  now  ex- 
tremely uncertain.  The  advocates  for  the  attack  prevailed 
in  the  council,  and  at  dawn  of  day,  on  the  morning  of 
the  3d  of  July,  the  garrison  left  the  fort,  and  began  their 
march  up  the  river,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Zebulon 
Butler.  Having  proceeded  about  two  miles,  the  troops 
halted  for  the  purpose  of  detaching  a  reconnoitering  party, 
to  ascertain  the  situation  of  the  enemy. 

The  scout  found  the  enemy  in  possession  of  Fort  Win- 
termoot,  and  occupying  huts  immediately  around  it,  carous- 
ing in  supposed  security ;  but  on  their  return  to  the  ad- 
vancing column,  they  met  two  strolling  Indians,  by  whom 
they  were  fired  upon,  and  upon  whom  they  immediately 
returned  the  fire  without  efi'ect.  The  settlers  hastened 
their  march  for  the  attack,  but  the  Indians  had  given  the 
alarm,  and  the  advancing  troops  found  the  enemy  already 
formed  in  order  of  battle  a  small  distance  from  their  fort, 
with  their  right  flank  covered  by  a  swamp,  and  their  left 
resting  upon  the  bank  of  a  river.  The  settlers  immedi- 
ately displayed  their  column  and  formed  in  corresponding 
order,  but  as  the  enemy  was  much  superior  in  numbers, 
their  line  was  much  more  extensive.    Pine  woods  and 


238 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


bushes  covered  the  battle-ground,  in  consequence  of 
which,  the  movements  of  the  troops  could  not  be  so  quickly 
discovered,  nor  so  well  ascertained.  Colonel  Zebulon 
Butler  had  command  of  the  right,  and  was  opposed  by 
Colonel  John  Butler  at  the  head  of  the  British  troops  on 
the  left,  Colonel  Nathan  Denison  commanded  the  left, 
opposed  by  Brant  at  the  head  of  his  Indians  on  the  enemy's 
right.  The  battle  commenced  at  about  forty  rods  distant, 
and  continued  about  fifteen  minutes  through  the  woods 
and  brush  without  much  execution.  At  this  time.  Brant 
with  his  Indians  having  penetrated  the  swamp,  turned 
the  left  flank  of  the  settler's  line,  and  with  a  terrible  war- 
whoop  and  savage  yell,  made  a  desperate  charge  upon  the 
troops  composing  that  wing,  which  fell  very  fast,  and 
were  immediately  cut  to  pieces  with  the  tomahawjc.  Colo- 
nel Denison  having  ascertained  that  the  savages  were 
gaining  the  rear  of  the  left,  gave  orders  for  that  wing  to 
fall  hack.  At  the  same  time.  Colonel  John  Butler,  find- 
ing that  the  line  of  settlers  did  not  extend  so  far  towards 
the  river  as  his  own,  doubled  that  end  of  his  line  which 
was  protected  by  a  thick  growth  of  brushwood,  and  hav- 
ing brought  a  party  of  his  British  regulars  to  act  in 
colilmn  upon  that  wing,  threw  Colonel  Zebulon  Butler's 
into  some  confusion.  The  orders  of  Colonel  Denison  for 
his  troops  to  fall  back,  having  been  understood  by  many 
to  mean  a  retreat,  the  troops  began  to  retire  in  much  dis- 
order. The  savages  considered  this  a  flight,  and  com- 
mencing a  most  hideous  yell,  rushed  forward  with  their 
rifles  and  tomahawks,  and  cut  the  retiring  line  to  pieces. 
In  this  situation  it  was  found  impossible  to  rally  and 


MASSACRE  OF  WYOMING. 


239 


form  the  troops,  and  the  rout  became  general  throughout 
the  line. 

The  settlers  fled  in  every  direction,  and  were  instantly 
fellowed  by  the  savages,  who  killed  or  took  prisoners  who- 
ever came  within  their  reach.  Some  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  river,  and  escaped  by  swimming  across ;  others  fled 
to  the  mountains,  and  the  savages,  too  much  occupied 
with  plunder,  gave  up  the  pursuit. 

When  the  first  intelligence  was  received  in  the  village 
of  Wilkesbarre  that  the  battle  was  lost,  the  women  fled 
with  their  children  to  the  mountains  on  their  way  to  the 
settlements  on  the  Delaware,  where  many  of  them  at  length 
arrived  after  sufi'ering  extreme  hardships.  Many  of  the 
men  who  escaped  the  battle,  together  with  their  women 
and  children,  who  were  unable  to  travel  on  foot,  took  re- 
fuge in  Wyoming  fort,  and  on  the  following  day  (July  4th,) 
Butler  and  Brant,  at  the  head  of  their  combined  forces, 
appeared  before  the  fort,  and  demanded  its  surrender. 
The  garrison  being  without  any  efiicient  means  of  de- 
fence, surrendered  the  fort  on  articles  of  capitulation,  by 
which  the  settlers,  upon  giving  up  their  fortifications,  pri- 
soners, and  military  stores,  were  to  remain  in  the  country 
unmolested,  provided  they  did  not  again  take  up  arms. 

In  this  battle  about  three  hundred  of  the  settlers  were 
killed  or  missing,  from  a  great  part  of  whom  no  intel- 
ligence was  ever  afterward  received. 

The  conditions  of  the  capitulation  were  entirely  disre- 
garded by  the  British  and  savage  forces,  and  after  the 
fort  was  delivered  up,  all  kinds  of  barbarities  were  com- 
mitted by  them.    The  village  of  Wilkesbarre,  consisting 


240 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


of  twenty-three  houses,  was  burnt ;  men  and  their  wives 
were  separated  from  each  other,  and  carried  into  captivity : 
their  property  was  plundered,  and  the  settlement  laid 
waste.  The  remainder  of  the  inhabitants  were  driven 
from  the  valley,  and  compelled  to  proceed  on  foot  sixty 
miles  through  the  great  swamp,  almost  without  food  or 
clothing.  A  number  perished  in  the  journey,  principally 
women  and  children  ;  some  died  of  their  wounds ;  others 
wandered  from  the  path  in  search  of  food,  and  were  lost, 
and  those  who  survived  called  the  wilderness  through 
which  they  had  passed,  "the  shades  of  death  !"  a  name 
which  it  has  since  retained. 


t 


?feroie  ^iohfCi)  of  fi]e  JOesi 

The  following  incidents  are  taken  from  a  letter  addressed 
bj  Captain  Nathaniel  Hart,  of  Woodford  county,  Kentucky, 
to  Governor  Morehead : 

Dear  Sir. — Connected  with  your  address  delivered  at 
the  celebration  of  the  first  settlement  of  Kentucky,  at 
Boonesborough,  the  circumstances  attending  the  escape 
and  defence  of  Mrs.  Woods,  about  the  year  1784-5,  near 
the 'Crab  Orchard,  in  Lincoln  county,  may  not  be  without 

(243) 


244 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


interest.  I  have  a  distinct  recollection  of  them.  Mr.  Woods, 
her  husband,  was  absent  from  home,  and  early  in  the 
toorning,  being  a  short  distance  from  her  cabin,  she  dis- 
covered several  Indians  advancing  towards  it.  She  reached 
it  before  all  but  one,  who  was  so  far  ahead  of  the  others, 
that  before  she  could  close  and  fasten  the  door,  he  entered. 
Instantly  he  was  seized  by  a  lame  negro  man  of  the  family, 
and  after  a  short  scuffle,  they  both  fell — the  negro  under- 
neath. But  he  held  the  Indian  m  fast,  that  he  was  unable 
to  use  either  his  scalping  knife  or  tomahawk,  when  he  called 
upon  his  young  mistress  to  take  the  axe  from  under  the 
bed,  and  dispatch  him  by  a  blow  upon  the  head.  She  im- 
mediately attempted  it :  but  the  first  attempt  was  a  failure 
She  repeated  the  blow  and  killed  him.  The  other  Indians 
were  at  the  door  endeavoring  to  force  it  open  with  their 
tomahawks.  The  negro  rose,  and  proposed  to  Mrs.  Woods 
to  let  in  another,  and  they  would  soon  dispose  of  the  whole 
of  them  in  the  same  way.  The  cabin  was  but  a  short 
distance  from  a  station,  the  occupants  of  which,  having 
discovered  the  perilous  situation  of  the  family,  fired  on  the 
Indians,  and  killed  another,  when  the  remainder  made  their 
escape. 

This  incident  is  not  more  extaordinary  than  one  that  * 
happened,  in  the  fall  or  winter  of  1781-2,  to  some  families 
belonging  to  our  own  fort  at  the  White  Oak  Spring.  My 
father  settled  this  fort  in  1779.  It  was  situated  about  a 
mile  above  Boonesborough  and  in  the  same  bottom  of  the 
river.  It  was  composed  principally  of  families  from  York 
county,  Pennsylvania — orderly,  respectable  people,  and 
the  men  good  soldiers.    But  they  were  unaccustomed  to 


/ 


I 


HEROIC  WOMEN  OF  THE  WEST. 


247 


Indian  warfare,  and  the  consequence  was,  that  of  some 
ten  or  twelve  men,  all  were  killed  but  two  or  three.  During 
this  period,  Peter  Duree,  the  elder,  the  principal  man  of 
the  connection,  determined  to  settle  a  new  fort  between 
Estill's  station  and  the  mouth  of  Muddy  Creek,  directly 
on  the  trace  between  the  Cherokee  and  Sliawanese  towns. 
Having  erected  a  cabin,  his  son-in-law,  John  Bullock  and 
his  family,  and  his  son  Peter  Duree,  his  wife  and  two 
children,  removed  to  it,  taking  a  pair  of  hand  mill  stones 
with  them.  They  remained  for  two  or  three  days  shut  up 
in  their  cabin,  but  their  corn  meal  being  exhausted,  they 
were  compelled  to  venture  out  to  cut  a  hollow  tree  in  order 
to  adjust  their  hand  mill.  They  were  attacked  by  Indians — 
Bullock,  after  running  a  short  distance,  fell.  Duree  reached 
the  cabin,  and  threw  himself  upon  the  bed.  Mrs.  Bullock 
I'an  to  the  door  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  her  husband — re- 
ceived a  shot  in  the  breast,  and  fell  across  the  door  sill. 
Mrs.  Duree,  not  knowing  whether  her  husband  had  been 
shot  or  had  fainted,  caught  her  by  the  feet,  pulled  her 
into  the  house  and  barred-  the  door.  She  grasped  a  rifle 
and  told  her  husband,  she  would  help  him  to  fight.  He 
replied  that  he  had  been  wounded  and  was  dying.  She 
then  presented  the  gun  through  several  port  holes  in  quick 
succession — then  calmly  sat  by  her  husband  and  closed 
his  eyes  in  death.  You  would  conclude  that  the  scene 
ought  to  end  here — but  after  waiting  several  hours,  and 
seeing  nothing  more  of  the  Indians,  she  sallied  out  in  des- 
peration to  naake  her  way  to  the  White  Oak  Spring,  with 
her  infant  in  her  arms,  and  a  son,  three  or  four  years  of 
age,  following  her.  Afraid  to  pursue  the  trace,  she  entered 


248 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


the  woods,  and  after  running  till  she  was  nearly  exhausted 
ehe  came  at  length  to  the  trace.  She  determined  to  follow 
it  at  all  hazards,  and  having  advanced  a  few  miles  further, 
she  met  the  elder  Mr.  Duree,  with  his  wife,  and  youngest  son, 
with  their  baggage,  on  their  way  to  the  new  station.  The 
melancholy  tidings  induced  them,  of  course,  to  return. 
They  led  their  horses  into  an  adjoining  canebrake,  unloaded 
them,  and  regained  the  White  Oak  Spring  fort  before  day- 
light. 

It  is  impossible  at  this  day  to  make  a  just  impression  of 
the  sufferings  of  the  pioneers  about  the  period  spoken  of. 
The  White  Oak  Spring  fort  in  1782,  with  perhaps  one 
hundred  souls  in  it,  was  reduced  in  August  to  three  fighting 
white  men — and  I  can  say  with  truth,  that  for  tM^o  or  three 
weeks,  my  mother's  family  never  unclothed  themselves  to 
sleep,  nor  were  all  of  them,  within  the  time,  at  their  meals 
together,  nor  was  any  household  business  attempted.  Food 
was  prepared,  and  placed  where  those  who  chose  could 
eat.  It  was  the  period  when  Bryant's  station  was  besieged 
and  for  many  days  before  and  after  that  gloomy  event,  wo 
were  in  constant  expectation  of  being  made  prisoners. 
We  made  application  to  Colonel  Logan  for  a  guard,  and 
obtained  one,  but  not  until  the  danger  was  measurably 
over.  It  then  consisted  of  two  men  only.  Colonel  Logan 
did  everything  in  his  power,  as  county  lieutenant,  to  sus- 
tain the  different  forts — but  it  was  not  a  very  easy  matter 
to  order  a  married  man  from  a  fort  where  his  family  was 
to  defend  some  other — when  his  own  was  in  imminent 
danger. 

I  went  with  my  mother  in  January,  1783,  to  Logan's  - 


HEROIC  WOMEN  OF  THE  WEST. 


249 


Btation,  to  prove  my  father's  will.  He  bar]  fallen  in  the 
preceding  July.  Twenty  armed  men  were  of  the  party. 
Twenty-three  widows  were  in  attendance  upon  the  court, 
to  obtain  letters  of  administration  on  the  estates  of  their 
husbands,  who  had  been  killed  during  the  past  year.  My 
mother  went  to  Colonel  Logan's,  who  received  and  treated 
her  like  a  sister. 


GENERAL  SI.  CLAIR. 


The  Chippewas  are  a  numerous  people  inhabiting,,  the 
country  north  of  Lake  Superior,  and  about  the  source  of 
the  Mississippi.  They  are  divided  into  several  tribes, 
and  are  distinguished  by  the  number  of  blue  or  black 
lines  tattooed  on  their  cheeks  and  foreheads. 

Travellers  have  always  described  them  as  "  the  most 
peaceable  tribe  of  Indians  known  in  North  America." 
(250) 


INDIAN  STRATAGEM  FOILED. 


253 


Thej"  are  not  remarkable  for  their  activity  as  hunters,  and 
this  no  doubt  is  owing  to  the  ease  with  which  they  can 
procure  both  game  and  fish. 

In  their  pursuit  of  deer,  they  sometimes  drive  them 
into  the  small  lakes,  and  then  spear  them  from  their  ca- 
noes ;  or  shoot  them  with  the  bow  and  arrow,  after  having 
driven  them  into  inclosures  constructed  for  the  purpose. 
Snares  made  of  deer  sinews,  too,  are  frequently  used  for 
catching  large  and  small  game :  and  as  these  occupations 
are  not  beyond  the  strength  of  the  old  men  and  boys, 
they  take  a  share  in  these  toils,  which  among  most  of  the 
tribes  are  left  exclusively  to  the  squaws. 

In  person  the  Chippewas  are  not  remarkable ;  they  are 
generally  robust,  their  complexion  swarthy,  their  features 
broad,  and  their  hair  straight  and  black,  which  is  the  case 
in  most  of  the  Indian  tribes.  But  they  have  not  that 
piercing  eye,  which  so  generally  animates  the  Indian 
countenance. 

The  aspect  of  the  women  is  more  agreeable  than  that 
of  the  men ;  they  wear  their  hair  of  a  great  length,  and 
pay  much  attention  to  its  arrangement,  greasing  it  with 
considerable  taste. 

They  appear  to  be  more  attentive  to  the  comforts  of 
dress,  and  less  anxious  about  its  exterior  than  of  their  red 
brethren.  Deer  and  fawn  skins,  dressed  with  the  hair 
on,  so  skilfully  that  they  are  perfectly  supple,  compose 
their  shirt  or  coat,  which  is  girt  round  the  waist  with  a 
belt,  and  reaches  half  way  down  the  thigh.  Their  moc- 
casins and  leggins  are  generally  sewn  together,  and  the 
latter  meet  the  belt  to  which  they  are  fastened.    A  ruff 


254 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


or  tippet  surrounds  the  neck,  and  the  skin  of  the  deer's 
head  is  formed  into  a  curious  sort  of  cap. 

A  robe  of  several  deer  skins  sewn  together  is  thrown 
over  the  whole ;  this  dress  is  sometimes  worn  single,  but 
in  winter  iris  always  made  double,  the  hair  forming  both 
the  lining  and  the  outside. 

Thus  attired,  a  Chippewa  will  lay  himself  down  on  the 
snow  and  repose  in  comfort;  and  if  in  his  wanderings 
across  the  numerous  lakes  with  which  his  country  abounds, 
he  should  fall  short  of  provisions,  he  has  only  to  cut  a 
hole  in  the  ice,  when  he  seldom  fails  of  taking  a  black- 
fish,  or  a  bass,  w^iich  he  broils  over  his  little  wood  fire 
with  as  much  skill  as  a  French  cook. 

At  the  time  of  the  French  and  Indian  -jvars,  the  Ame- 
rican army  was  encamped  on  the  Plains  of  Chippewa. 
Colonel  St.  Clair,  the  commander,  was  a  brave  and  merito- 
rious officer,  but  his  bravery  sometimes  amounted  to  rash- 
ness, and  his  enemies  have  accused  him  of  indiscretion. 
In  the  present  instance  perhaps  he  may  have  merited  the 
accusation,  for  the  plain  on  which  he  had  encamped  was 
bordered  by  a  dense  forest,  from  which  the  Indian  scouts 
could  easily  pick  ofi*  his  sentinels  without  in  the  least 
exposing  themselves  to  danger. 

Five  nights  had  passed,  and  every  night  the  sentinel, 
who  stood  at  a  lonely  out-post  in  the  vicinity  of  the  forest, 
had  been  shot ;  and  these  repeated  disasters  struck  such 
dread  among  the  remaining  soldiers,  that  no  one  would 
come  forward  to  offer  to  take  the  post,  and  the  com- 
mander, knowing  it  was  only  throwing  men's  lives  away, 
let  it  stand  for  a  few  nights  unoccupied. 


INDIAN  STRATAGEM  FOILED.  257 

At  length,  a  rifleman  of  the  Virginian  corps,  volunteered 
his  services  for  this  dangerous  duty ;  he  laughed  at  the 
fears  of  his  companions,  and  told  them  he  meant  to  re- 
turn safe  and  drink  his  commander's  health  in  the  morn- 
ing. The  guard  marched  up  soon  after,  and  he  shouldered 
his  rifle  and  fell.  He  arrived  at  the  place  which  had  been 
so  fatal  to  his  comrades,  and  bidding  his  fellow  soldiers 
"good  night,"  assumed  the  duties  of  his  post.  The  night 
was  dark,  thick  clouds  overspread  the  firmament,  and 
hardly  a  star  could  be  seen  by  the  sentinel  as  he  paced 
his  lonely  walk.  All  was  silent  except  the  gradually  re- 
treating footsteps  of  the  guard ;  he  marched  onwards, 
then  stopped  and  listened  till  he  thought  he  heard  the 
joyful  sound  of  "  All's  well" — then  all  was  still,  and  he 
sat  down  on  a  fallen  tree  and  began  to  muse.  Presently 
a  low  rustling  among  the  bushes  caught  his  ear ;  he  gazed 
intently  towards  the  spot  whence  the  sound  seemed  to 
proceed,  but  he  could  see  nothing  save  the  impenetrable 
gloom  of  the  forest.  The  sound  grew  nearer,  and  a  well- 
known  grunt  informed  him  of  the  approach  of  a  bear. 
The  animal  passed  the  soldier  slowly,  and  then  quietly 
sought  the  thicket  to  the  left.  At  this  moment  the  moon 
shone  out  bright  through  the  parting  clouds,  and  the  wary 
soldier  perceived  the  ornamented  moccasin  of  a  savage  on 
what  an  instant  before  he  believed  to  be  a  bear !  He 
could  have  shot  him  in  a  moment,  but  he  knew  not  how 
many  other  animals  might  be  at  hand ;  he  therefore  re- 
frained, and  having  perfect  knowledge  of  Indian  subtilty, 
he  quickly  took  off  his  hat  and  coat,  hung  them  on  a 
branch  of  a  fallen  tree,  grasped  his  rifle,  and  silently 
17 


258 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


crept  towards  the  thicket.  He  had  barely  reached  it, 
■when  an  arrow,  whizzing  past  his  head,  told  him  of  the 
danger  he  had  so  narrowly  escaped. 

He  looked  carefully  round  him,  and  on  a  little  spot  of 
cleared  land  he  counted  twelve  Indians,  some  sitting,  some 
lying  full  length  on  the  thickly  strewn  leaves  of  the  forest. 
Believing  that  they  had  already  shot  the  sentinel,  and  little 
thinking  there  was  any  one  within  hearing,  they  were 
quite  off  their  guard,  and  conversed  aloud  about  their 
plans  for  the  morrow. 

It  appeared  that  a  council  of  twelve  chiefs  was, now 
held,  in  which  they  gravely  deliberated  on  the  most  effec- 
tual means  of  annoying  the  enemy.  It  was  decided  that 
the  next  evening  forty  of  their  warriors  should  be  in  readi- 
ness at  the  hour  when  the  sentinel  should  be  left  by  his 
comrades,  and  that  when  they  had  retired  a  few  paces,  an 
arrow  should  silence  him  for  ever,  and  they  would  then 
rush  on  and  massacre  the  guard. 

.This  being  concluded,  they  rose,  and  drawing  the  nu- 
merous folds  of  their  ample  robes  closer  round  them,  they 
marched  off  in  Indian  file  through  the  gloomy  forest,  seeking 
some  more  distant  spot,  where  the  smoke  of  their  nightly 
fire  would  not  be  observed  by  the  white  men. 

The  sentinel  rose  from  his  hiding-place  and  returned  to 
his  post,  and  taking  down  his  hat,  found  that  an  arrow 
had  passed  clean  through  it.  He  then  wrapt  himself  in 
his  watch-coat,  and  returned  immediately  to  the  camp ; 
and  without  any  delay  demanded  to  speak  to  the  commander, 
saying  that  he  had  something  important  to  communicate. 

He  was  admitted,  and  when  he  had  told  all  that  he  had 


GENERAL  MORGAN. 


f 


INDIAN  STRATAGEM  FOILED. 


261 


seen  and  heard,  the  Colonel  bestowed  on  him  the  commis- 
sion of  lieutenant  of  the  Virginia  corps,  which  had  been 
made  vacant  by  the  death  of  one  of  his  comrades  a  few 
nights  back,  and  ordered  him  to  be  ready  with  a  picket 
guard,  to  march  an  hour  earlier  than  usual  to  the  fatal 
out-post,  there  to  place  a  hat  and  coat  on  the  branches,  and 
then  lie  in  ambush  for  the  intruders. 

The  following  evening,  according  to  the  orders  given  by 
Colonel  St.  Clair,  a  detachment  of  forty  riflemen,  with 
Lieutenant  Morgan  at  their  head,  marched  from  the  camp 
at  half  past  seven  in  the  evening  towards  the  appointed 
spot,  and  having  arranged  the  hat  and  coat  so  as  to  have 
the  appearance  of  a  soldier  standing  on  guard,  they  stole 
silently  away  and  hid  themselves  among  the  bushes. 

Here  they  lay  for  almost  an  hour  before  any  signs  of 
approaching  Indians  were  heard.  The  night  was  cold 
and  still,  and  the  rising  moon  shone  forth  in  all  her  beauty. 
The  men  were  becoming  impatient  of  their  uncomfortable 
situation,  for  their  clothes  were  not  so  well  adapted  to  a 
bed  of  snow  as  the  deer-skin  robes  of  the  hardy  Chippewas. 

"  Silence  1"  whispered  Lieutenant  Morgan — "  I  hear  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves." 

Presently  a  bear  of  the  same  description  as  had  been 
seen  the  night  before,  passed  near  the  ambush ;  it  crept 
to  the  edge  of  the  plain — reconnoitred — saw  the  sentinel 
at  his  post — retired  towards  the  forest  a  few  paces,  and 
then,  suddenly  rising  on  his  feet,  let  fly  an  arrow  which 
brought  the  sham  sentinel  to  the  ground.  So  impatient 
were  the  Virginians  to  avenge  the  death  of  their  comrades 
that  they  could  scarcely  w^ait  till  the  lieutenant  gave  the 


262 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


word  of  command  to  fire — then  they  rose  in  a  body,  and 
before  the  Chippewas  had  time  to  draw  their  arrows  or 
seize  their  tomahawks,  more  than  half  their  number  lay 
dead  upon  the  plain.  The  rest  fled  to  the  forest,  but  the 
riflemen  fired  again,  and  killed  or  wounded  several  more 
of  the  enemy.  They  then  returned  in  triumph  to  relate 
their  exploits  in  the  camp. 

Ten  chiefs  fell  that  night,  and  their  fall  was,  undoubtedly, 
one  principal  cause  of  the  French  and  Indian  wars  with  the 
English. 

Lieutenant  Morgan  rose  to  be  a  captain,  and  at  the  ter- 
mination of  the  war  returned  home,  and  lived  on  his  own 
farm  till  the  breaking  out  of  the  American  war.  And 
then,  at  the  head  of  a  corps  of  Virginia  rifleman,  appeared 
our  hero,  the  brave  and  gallant  Colonel  Morgan,  better 
known  by  the  title  of  general,  which  he  soon  acquired  by 
his  courage  and  ability. 


I 


BLACKBIRD. 


Among  the  first  tribes  of  the  Great  Oregon  Territory, 
which  established  friendly  intercourse  with  the  United 
States  traders,  were  the  Omahas.  The  boast  of  these  Indians 
was  a  chief  named  Blackbird,  who  was  a  steadfast  friend 
of  the  white  men  and  the  terror  of  the  neighboring  hostile 
tribes.  Such  were  his  skill,  courage,  and  success  in  war, 
that  friends  and  foes  regarded  him  as  enchanted.  He  de- 
lighted in  trials  of  strength  or  agility,  in  which  he  always 
came  oif  victorious.  In  addition  to  these  qualities,  he  pos- 
sessed a  secret  which  rendered  him  more  than  human  in 
the  eyes  of  his  barbarous  followers.  This  was  an  acquaint- 
ance with  the  properties  of  arsenic,  which  he  had  obtained 
from  a  white  trader.  Whenever  he  was  displeased  with  an 

(265) 


266 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


Indian,  he  prophesied  his  death  hefore  a  certain  day,  and 
the  sure  accomplishment  of  the  prophecy  rendered  Black- 
bird an  object  of  terror  and  reverence. 

On  one  occasion,  the  Poncas  made  an  incursion  into 
Blackbird's  territory,  and  carried  away  a  number  of  women 
and  horses.  He  immediately  collected  his  warriors  and 
pursued  them.  The  Poncas  sheltered  themselves  behind 
a  rude  embankment,  but  their  persevering  enerny,  gaining 
a  good  position,  poured  upon  them  a  well-directed  fire, 
which  did  fearful  execution.  The  Ponca  chief  dispatched 
a  herald,  with  the  calumet,  but  he  was  immediately  shot ; 
a  second  herald  experienced  the  same  treatment.  The 
chieftain's  daughter,  a  young  maiden  of  much  personal 
beauty,  then  appeared  before  the  stern  foe,  dressed  with 
exquisite  taste,  and  bearing  the  calumet.  Blackbird's 
heart  softened,  he  accepted  the  sacred  emblem,  and  con- 
cluded a  peace  with  his  enemy.  The  pledge  given  and 
received  w^as  the  beautiful  Ponca  maiden,  as  wife  to  the 
fierce  chieftain  of  Omaha. 

For  the  first  time  the  heart  of  Blackbird  felt  the  genial 
influence  of  love.  He  loved  the  young  creature  who  had 
saved  her  tribe,  with  all  the  ardor  of  untutored  nature. 
But  he  was  still  a  savage,  and  sometimes  ungovernable 
bursts  of  rage  would  transport  him  beyond  all  bounds  of 
affection  or  decency.  In  one  of  these,  his  beloved  wife 
unwittingly  offended  him.  He  instantly  drew  his  knife 
and  laid  her  dead  with  a  single  blow.  The  dreadful  deed 
calmed  him  in  a  moment.  For  a  little  while  he  looked  at 
the  beautiful  corpse  in  stupid  grief,  and  then,  with  his  head 
wrapped  in  his  robe,  he  sat  down  beside  it.    He  ate  no 


BLACKBIRD. 


267 


food,  spake  no  word  for  three  days.  The  remonstrances 
of  his  people  were  received  with  silence,  and  no  one  dared 
to  uncover  his  face.  At  length  one  of  them  brought  in  a 
small  child,  and  placed  the  foot  of  the  unhappy  warrior 
on  its  neck.  Blackbird  was  moved  by  the  significant  appeal 
and  throwing  aside  his  robe,  he  arose  and  delivered  an 
oration. 

The  Omaha  tribe  were  greatly  thinned  by  small-pox, 
and  to  this  loathsome  disease  their  great  chieftain  fell  a 
victim.  His  dying  request  was  bold  and  fanciful.  Near 
the  source  of  the  Missouri  is  a  high  solitary  rock,  round 
which  the  river  winds  in  a  nearly  circular  direction,  and 
which  commands  a  view  of  the  adjacent  country  for  many 
miles  around.  There  Blackbird  had.often  sat  to  watch  for 
the  canoes  of  the  white  traders,  and  there  it  was  his  dying 
request  to  be  buried.  He  was  to  be  mounted  upon  his 
horse,  completely  armed,  so  as  to  overlook  his  lands,  and 
watch  for  the  coming  boat  of  the  white  men.  His  orders 
were  obeyed  ;  and  on  that  same  high  promontory,  over  the 
tomb  of  the  Indian  warrior  was  raised  his  national  banner, 
capped  with  the  scalps  which  he  had  taken  in  battlle.  Of 
course  the  Indians  regard  the  rock  with  superstitious  reve- 
rence, and  have  their  own  stories  of  the  scenes  which 
occasionally  take  place  on  and  around  it. 


2[  ^egpci-^fe  ^i)bC{iii\H. 

"While  encamped  on  the  24th  of  April,  at  a  spring  near 
the  Spanish  Trail,  we  were  surprised  by  the  sudden  ap- 
pearance amongst  us  of  two  Mexicans  ;  a  man  and  a  boy. 
The  name  of  the  man  was  Andreas  Fuentas,  and  that  of 
the  boy,  a  handsome  lad  of  eleven  years  old,  Pablo  Her- 
nandez. With  a  cavalcade  of  about  thirty  horses,  they 
had  come  out  from  Puebla  de  los  Angelos,  near  the  Pa- 
(268) 


KIT.  CARSON. 


A  DESPERATE  ADVENTURE. 


271 


cific ;  had  lost  half  their  animals,  stolen  by  the  Indians, 
and  now  sought  my  camp  for  aid.  Carson  and  Godey, 
two  of  my  men,  volunteered  to  pursue  them,  with  the 
Mexican ;  and,  well  mounted,  the  three  set  off  on  the 
trail.  In  the  evening,  Fuentas  returned,  his  horse  having  > 
failed ;  but  Carson  and  Godey  had  continued  the  pursuit. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day,  a  war-whoop  was 
heard,  such  as  Indians  make  when  returning  from  a  vic- 
torious enterprise ;  and  soon  Carson  and  Godey  appeared 
driving  before  them  a  band  of  horses,  recognised  by  Fu- 
entas to  be  a  part  of  those  they  had  lost.  Two  bloody 
scalps,  dangling  from  the  end  of  Godey's  gun,  announced 
that  they  had  overtaken  the  Indians  as  well  as  the  horses. 
They  had  continued  the  puf suit  alone  after  Fuentas  left 
them,  and  towards  nightfall  entered  the  mountains  into 
which  the  trail  led.  After  sunset,  the  moon  gave  light 
until  late  in  the  night,  when  it  entered  a  narrow  defile, 
and  was  difficult  to  follow.  Here  they  lay  from  midnight 
till  morning.  At  daylight  they  resumed  the  pursuit,  and 
at  sunrise  discovered  the  horses ;  and  immediately  dis- 
mounting and  tying  up  their  own,  they  crept  cautiously 
to  a  rising  ground  which  intervened,  from  the  crest  of 
which  they  perceived  the  encampment  of  four  lodges  close 
by.  They  proceeded  quietly,  and  got  within  thirty  or 
forty  yards  of  their  object,  when  a  movement  among  the 
horses  discovered  them  to  the  Indians.  Giving  the  war 
shout,  they  instantly  charged  into  the  camp,  regardless 
of  the  numbers  which  the  four  lodges  might  contain.  The 
Indians  received  them  with  a  flight  of  arrows,  shot  from 
their  long  bows,  one  of  which  passed  through  Godey's 


4 


272 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


shirt  collar,  barely  missing  the  neck.  Our  men  fired  their 
rifles  upon  a  steady  aim,  and  rushed  in.  Two  Indians 
were  stretched  upon  the  ground,  fatally  pierced  with 
bullets  ;  the  rest  fled,  except  a  lad,  who  was  captured.  The 
scalps  of  the  fallen  were  instantly  stripped  off,  but  in  the 
process,  one  of  them,  who  had  two  balls  through  his  body, 
sprung  to  his  feet,  the  blood  streaming  from  his  skinned 
head,  and  uttered  a  hideous  howl.  The  frightful  spectacle 
appalled  the  stout  hearts  of  our  men ;  but  they  did  what 
humanity  required,  and  quickly  terminated  the  agony  of 
the  gory  savage.  They  were  now  masters  of  the  camp, 
which  was  a  pretty  little  recess  in  the  mountain,  with  a 
fine  spring,  and  apparently  safe  from  all  invasion.  Great 
preparation  had  been  made  for  feasting  a  large  party,  for 
it  was  a  very  proper  place  for  a  rendezvous,  and  for  the 
celebration  of  such  orgies  as  robbers  of  the  desert  would 
delight  in.  Several  of  the  horses  had  been  killed,  skinned, 
and  cut  up — for  the  Indians  living  in  the  mountains,  and 
only  coming  into  the  plains  to  rob  and  murder,  make  no 
other  use  of  horses  than  to  eat  them.  Large  earthen 
vessels  were  on  the  fire,  boiling  and  stewing  the  horse 
beef,  and  several  baskets  containing  fifty  or  sixty  pair  of 
moccasins,  indicated  the  presence  or  expectation  of  a  large 
party.  They  released  the  boy  who  had  given  strong 
evidence  of  the  stoicism,  or  something  else  of  the  savage 
character,  by  commencing  his  breakfast  upon  a  horse's 
head  as  soon  as  he  found  he  was  not  to  be  killed,  but  only 
tied  as  a  prisoner. 

Their  object  accomplished,  our  men  gathered  up  all  the 
surviving  horses,  fifteen  in  number,  returned  upon  their 


18 


A  DESPERATE  ADVENTURE.  275 

trail,  and  rejoined  us  at  our  camp  in  the  afternoon  of  the 
same  day.  They  had  rode  about  one  hundred  miles  in 
the  pursuit  and  return,  and  all  in  about  thirty  hours.  The 
time,  place,  object  and  numbers  considered,  this  expedi- 
tion of  Carson  and  Godey  may  be  considered  among  the 
boldest  and  most  disinterested  which  the  annals  of  west- 
ern adventure,  so  full  of  daring  deeds,  can  present.  Two 
men  in  a  savage  wilderness,  pursue  day  and  night  an  un- 
known body  of  Indians  into  the  defiles  of  an  unknown 
mountain — attack  them  on  sight  without  counting  num- 
bers— and  defeat  them  in  an  instant — and  for  what  ? — to 
punish  the  robbers  of  the  desert,  and  revenge  the  wrongs 
of  Mexicans  whom  they  did  not  know.  I  repeat  it  was 
Carson  and  Godey  who  did  this — the  former  an  American, 
born  in  Booneslick  county,  Missouri ;  the  latter  a  French- 
man, born  in  St.  Louis — and  both  trained  to  western 
enterprise  from  early  life. 


As  early  as  the  year  1790,  the  block-house  and  stock- 
ade, above  the  mouth  of  the  Hockhocking  river,  was  a 
frontier  post  for  the  hardy  pioneer  of  that  portion  of  the 
state  from  the  Hockhocking  to  the  Sciota,  and  from  the 
Ohio  river  to  the  northern  lakes.  Then  nature  wore  her 
undisturbed  livery  of  dark  and  thick  forests,  interspersed 
with  green  and  flowery  prairies.  Then  the  axe  of  the 
(276) 


ADVENTURE  OF  TWO  SCOUTS. 


279 


woodman  had  not  been  heard  in  the  wilderness,  nor  the 
plough  of  the  husbandmen  marred  the  beauty  of  the  green 
prairies.  Among  the  rich  and  luxuriant  valleys,  that  of 
4he  Hockhocking  was  pre-eminent  for  nature's  richest 
gifts — and  the  portico  of  it  whereon  Lancaster  now  stands, 
was  marked  as  the  most  luxuriant  and  picturesque,  and 
became  the  seat  of  an  Indian  village,  at  a  period  so  early, 
that  the  "memory  of  man  runneth  not  parallel  thereto." 
On  the  green  sward  of  the  prairie  was  held  many  a  rude 
gambol  of  the  Indians ;  and  here,  too,  was  many  an  as- 
semblage of  the  warriors  of  one  of  the  most  powerful 
tribes,  taking  counsel  for  a  "war-path,"  upon  some  weak 
or  defenceless  post. 

Upon  one  of  these  stirring  occasions,  intelligence 
reached  the  little  garrison  above  the  mouth  of  the  Hock- 
hocking, that  the  Indians  were  gathering  in  force  some- 
where up  the  valley,  for  the  purpose  of  striking  a  terrible 
and  fatal  blow  on  one  of  the  few  and  scattered  defences 
of  the  whites.  A  council  was  held  by  the  garrison,  and 
scouts  were  sent  up  the  Hockhocking,  in  order  to  ascertain 
the  strength  of  the  foe,  and  the  probable  point  of  attack. 
In  the  month  of  October,  and  on  one  of  the  balmiest  days 
of  our  Indian  summer,  two  men  could  have  been  seen 
emerging  out  of  the  thick  plumb  and  hazel  bushes  skirting 
^  the  prairie,  and  stealthily  climbing  the  eastern  declivity 
of  that  most  remarkable  promontory,  now  known  as  Mount 
Pleasant,  whose  western  summit  gives  a  commanding  view 
to  the  eye  of  what  is  doing  on  the  prairie.  This  eminence 
was  gained  by  our  two  adventurers  and  hardy  scouts,  and 
from  this  point  they  carefully  observed  the  movements 


280  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

taking  place  on  the  prairie.  Every  day  brought  an  acces- 
sion of  warriors  to  those  already  assembled,  and  every  day 
the  scouts  witnessed  from  their  eyrie,  the  horse-racing, 
leaping,  running  and  throwing  the  deadly  tomahawk  by 
the  warriors.  The  old  sachems  looking  on  with  indiffe- 
rence— the  squaws,  for  the  most  part,  engaged  in  their 
usual  drudgeries,  and  the  papooses  manifesting  all  the 
noisy  and  wayward  joy  of  childhood.  The  arrival  of  any 
new  party  of  savages  was  hailed  by  the  terrible  war-whoop, 
which  striking  the  mural  face  of  Mount  Pleasant,  was  driven 
back  into  the  various  indentations  of  the  surrounding  hills, 
producing  reverberation  on  reverberation,  and  echo  on 
echo,  till  it  seemed  as  if  ten  thousand  fiends  were  gathered 
in  their  orgies.  Such  yells  might  well  strike  terror  into 
the  bosoms  of  those  unaccustomed  to  them.  To  our  scouts 
these  were  but  martial  music  strains  which  waked  their 
watchfulness,  and  strung  their  iron  frames.  From  their 
early  youth  had  they  been  always  on  the  frontier,  and 
therefore  well  practised  in  all  the  subtlety,  craft,  and 
cunning,  as  well  as  knowing  the  ferocity  and  bloodthirsty 
perseverance  of  the  savage.  They  were  therefore  not 
likely  to  be  circumvented  by  the  cunning  of  their  foes ; 
and  without  a  desperate  struggle,  would  not  fall  victims 
to  the  scalping-knife. 

On  several  occasions,  small  parties  of  warriors  left  the 
prairies  and  ascended  the  Mount ;  at  which  times  the 
scouts  would  hide  in  the  fissures  of  the  rocks,  or  lying  by 
the  side  of  some  long  prostrate  tree,  cover  themselves 
with  the  sear  and  yellow  leaf,  and  again  leave  their  hid- 
ing places  when  their  uninvited  visitors  had  disappeared. 


\ 


ADVENTURE  OF  TWO  SCOUTS.- 


283 


For  food  they  depended  on  jerked  venison,  and  cold  corn 
bread,  with  which  their  knapsacks  had  been  well  stored. 
Fire  they  dared  not  kindle,  and  the  report  of  one  of  their 
rifles  would  bring  upon  them  the  entire  force  of  the  In- 
dians. For  drink  they  depended  on  some  rain  water, 
which  still  stood  in  excavations  of  the  rocks,  but  in  a  few 
days  this  store  was  exhausted,  and  M'Clelland  and  White 
must  abandon  their  enterprise  or  find  a  new  supply.  To 
accomplish  this  most  hazardous  affair,  M'Clelland  being 
the  elder,  resolved  to  make  the  attempt — with  his  trusty 
rifle  in  his  grasp,  and  two  canteens  strung  across  his 
shoulders,  he  cautiously  descended  to  the  prairie,  and 
skirting  the  hills  on  the  north  as  much  as  possible  within 
the  hazel  thickets,  he  struck  a  course  for  the  Hockhock- 
ing  river.  He  reached  its  margin,  and  turning  an  abrupt 
point  of  a  hill,  he  found  a  beautiful  fountain  of  limpid 
water,  now  known  as  the  Cold  Spring,  within  a  few  feet 
of  the  river.  He  filled  his  canteens  and  returned  in 
safety  to  his  watchful  companion.  It  was  now  determined 
to  have  a  fresh  supply  of  water  every  day,  and  this  duty 
was  to  be  performed  alternately. 

On  one  of  these  occasions,  after  White  had  filled  his 
canteens,  he  sat  a  few  moments,  watching  the  limpid  ele- 
ment, as  it  came  gurgling  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  earth — 
the  light  sound  of  footsteps  caught  his  practised  ear,  and 
upon  turning  round,  he  saw  two  squaws  within  a  few  feet 
of  him ;  these  upon  turning  the  jet  of  the  hill  had  thus 
suddenly  came  upon  him.  The  elder  squaw  gave  one  of 
those  far-reaching  whoops  peculiar  to  the  Indians.  White 
at  once  comprehended  his  perilous  situation — for  if  the 


284 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


alarm  should  reach  the  camp,  he  and  his  companion  must 
inevitably  perish.  Self-preservation  impelled  him  to  in- 
flict a  noiseless  death  upon  the  squaws,*  and  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  leave  no  trace  behind.  Ever  rapid  in 
thought,  and  prompt  in  action,  he  sprang  upon  his  vic- 
tims with  a  rapidity  and  power  of  a  panther,  and  grasp- 
ing the  throat  of  each,  with  one  bound  he  sprang  into  the 
river,  and  rapidly  thrust  the  head  of  the  elder  woman 
under  the  water,  and  making  stronger  efforts  to  submerge 
the  younger,  who,  however,  powerfully  resisted.  During 
the  short  struggle,  the  younger  female  addressed  him  in 
his  own  language,  though  almost  in  inarticulate  sounds. 
Releasing  his  hold,  she  informed  him,  that,  ten  years  be- 
fore, she  had  been  made  a  prisoner,  on  Grave  Creek  flats, 
and  that  the  Indians,  in  her  presence,  butchered  her  mo- 
ther and  two  sisters ;  and  that  an  only  brother  had  been 
captured  with  her,  who  succeeded  on  the  second  night  in 
making  his  escape ;  but  what  had  become  of  him  she 
knew  not. 

During  the  narrative,  "White,  unobserved  by  the  girl, 
had  let  go  his  grasp  on  the  elder  squaw,  whose  body  soon 
floated  where  it  would  not,  probably  soon  be  found.  He 
now  directed  the  girl  hastily  to  follow  him,  and  with  his 
usual  energy  and  speed,  pushed  for  the  Mount.  They  had 
scarcely  gone  two  hundred  yards  from  the  spring,  before 
the  alarm  cry  was  heard  some  quarter  of  a  mile  down  the 
stream.  It  was  supposed  that  some  warriors  returning 
from  a  hunt,  struck  the  Hockhocking  just  as  the  body  of 
the  drowned  squaw  floated  past.  White  and  the  girl  suc- 
ceeded in  reaching  the  Mount,  where  M'Clelland  had  been 


ADVENTURE  OF  TWO  SCOUTS. 


287 


no  indifferent  spectator  to  the  sudden  commotion  among 
the  Indians,  as  the  prairie  warriors  were  seen  to  strike  off 
in  every  direction,  and  before  White  and  the  girl  had  ar- 
rived, a  party  of  some  twenty  warriors  had  already  gained 
the  eastern  acclivity  of  the  Mount,  and  were  cautiously 
ascending,  carefully  keeping  under  cover.  Soon  the  two 
scouts  saw  the  swarthy  faces  of  the  foe,  as  they  glided  from 
tree  to  tree,  and  rock  to  rock,  until  the  whole  base  of  the 
Mount  was  surrounded,  and  all  hopes  of  escape  were  cut  off. 

In  this  peril  nothing  was  left,  other  than  to  sell  their 
lives  as  dearly  as  possible ;  this  they  resolved  to  do,  and 
advised  the  girl  to  escape  to  the  Indians,  and  tell  them 
she  had  been  a  captive  to  the  scouts. 

She  said,  "  No  !  Death,  and  that  in  presence  of  my 
people,  is  to  me  a  thousand  times  sweeter  than  captivity — 
furnish  me  with  a  rifle,  and  I  will  show  you  that  I  can 
fight  as  well  as  die.  This  spot  I  leave  not !  here  my 
bones  shall  lie  bleaching  with  yours !  and  should  either 
of  you  escape,  you  will  carry  the  tidings  of  my  death  to 
my  remaining  relatives." 

Remonstrance  proved  fruitless ;  the  two  scouts  ma- 
tured their  plans  for  a  vigorous  defence  —  opposing 
craft  to  craft,  expedient  to  expedient,  and  an  unerring 
fire  of  the  deadly  rifle.  The  attack  now  commenced  in 
front,  where,  from  the  narrow  backbone  of  the  Mount, 
the  savages  had  to  advance  in  single  file,  but  where  they 
could  avail  themselves  of  the  rock  and  trees.  In  advanc- 
ing the  warrior  must  be  momentarily  exposed,  and  two 
bare  inches  of  his  swarthy  form  was  target  enough  for 
the  unerring  rifle  of  the  scouts.    After  bravely  maintain- 


288 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


ing  tlie  figlit  in  front,  and  keeping  the  enemy  in  check, 
they  discovered  a  new  danger  threatening  them.  The 
wary  foe  now  made  every  preparation  to  attack  them  in 
flank,  which  could  be  most  successfully  and  fatally  done 
by  reaching  an  insulated  rock  lying  in  one  of  the  ra- 
vines on  the  southern  hill  side.  This  rock  once  gained 
by  the  Indians,  they  could  bring  the  scouts  under  point  . 
blank  shot  of  the  rifle ;  and  without  the  possibility  of 
escape. 

Our  brave  scouts  saw  the  hopelessness  of  their  situa- 
tion, which  nothing  could  avert  but  brave  companions  and 
an  unerring  shot — them  they  had  not.  But  the  brave 
never  despair.  With  this  certain  fate  resting  upon  them, 
they  had  continued  as  calm,  and  as  calculating,  and 
as  unwearied  as  the  strongest  desire  of  vengeance  on  a 
treacherous  foe  could  produce.  Soon  M'Clelland  saw  a 
tall  and  swarthy  figure  preparing  to  spring  from  a  cover 
so  near  the  fatal  rock,  that  a  single  bound  must  reach 
it,  and  all  hope  be  destroyed.  He  felt  that  all  depended  ' 
on  one  advantageous  shot,  although  but  one  inch  of  the 
warrior's  body  was  exposed,  and  that  at  a  distance  of  one 
hundred  yards — he  resolved  to  risk  all — coolly  he  raised 
his  rifle  to  his  eyes,  carefully  shading  the  sight  with  his 
hand,  he  drew  a  bead  so  sure,  that  he  felt  conscious  it 
would  do — he  touched  the  hair  trigger  with  his  finger — 
the  hammer  came  down,  but  in  place  of  striking  fire,  it 
crushed  his  flint  into  a  hundred  fragments  !  Although  he  ^ 
felt  that  the  savage  must  reach  the  fatal  rock  before  he 
could  adjust  another  flint,  he  proceeded  to  the  task  with 
the  utmost  composure,  casting  many  a  furtive  glance  to 


ADVENTURE  OF  TWO  SCOUTS. 


291 


wards  the  fearful  point.  Suddenly  he  saw  the  warrior 
stretching  every  muscle  for  the  leap— and  with  the  agility 
of  a  deer  he  made  the  spring — -instead  of  reaching  the  rock 
he  sprung  ten  feet  in  the  air,  and  giving  one  terrific  yell 
he  fell  upon  the  earth,  and  his  dark  corpse  rolled  fifty  feet 
down  the  hill.  He  had  evidently  received  a  death  shot 
from  some  unknown  hand.  A  hundred  voices  from  below 
re-echoed  the  terrible  shout,  and  it  was  evident  that  they 
had  lost  a  favorite  warrior,  as  well  as  been  foiled  for  a  time 
in  their  most  important  movement.  A  very  few  moments 
proved  that  the  advantage  so  mysteriously  gained  would 
be  of  short  duration ;  for  already  the  scouts  caught  a  mo- 
mentary glimpse  of  a  swarthy  warrior,  cautiously  advancing 
towards  the  cover  so  recently  occupied  by  a  fellow  com- 
panion. Now,  too,  the  attack  in  front  was  resumed  with 
increased  fury,  so  as  to  require  the  incessant  fire  of  both 
Bcouts,  to  prevent  the  Indians  from  gaining  the  eminence — 
and  in  a  short  time  M'Clelland  saw  the  wary  warrior  turn- 
ing a  somerset,  his  corpse  rolled  down  towards  his  com- 
panion :  again  a  mysterious  agent  had  interposed  in  their 
behalf.  This  second  sacrifice  cast  dismay  into  the  ranks 
of  the  assailants ;  and  just  as  the  sun  was  disappearing 
behind  the  western  hills,  the  foe  withdrew  a  short  distance, 
for  the  purpose  of  devising  new  modes  of  attack.  The  re- 
spite came  most  seasonably  to  the  scouts,  who  had  bravely 
kept  their  position,  and  boldly  maintained  the  unequal 
fight  from  the  middle  of  the  day. 

Now,  for  the  first'  time,  was  the  girl  missing,  and  the 
scouts  supposed  through  terror  she  had  escaped  to  her 
former  captors,  or  that  she  had  been  killed  during  the 


292  .  HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 

fight.  They  were  not  long  left  to  doubt,  for  in  a  few 
moments  the  girl  was  seen  emerging  from  behind  a  rock 
and  coming  to  them  with  a  rifle  in  her  hand. 

During  the  heat  of  the  fight  she  saw  a  warrior  fall,  who 
had  advanced  some  fifty  yards  before  the  main  body  in 
front.  She  at  once  resolved  to  possess  herself  of  his  rifle, 
and  crouching  in  undergrowth  she  crept  to  the  spot,  and 
succeeded  in  her  enterprise,  being  all  the  time  exposed  to 
the  cross  fire  of  the  defenders  and  assailants — her  prac- 
tised eye  had  early  noticed  the  fatal  rock,  and  hers  was 
the  mysterious  hand  by  which  the  two  warriors  had  fallen — 
the  last  being  the  most  wary,  untiring,  and  bloodthirsty 
brave  of  the  Shawanese  tribe.  He  it  was,  who  ten  years 
previous  had  scalped  the  family  of  the  girl,  and  been  her  • 
captor. 

In  the  west,  dark  clouds  were  now  gathering,  and  in 
an  hour  the  vfhole  heavens  were  shrouded  in  them ;  this 
darkness  greatly  embarrassed  the  scouts  in  their  contem- 
plated night  retreat,  for  they  might  readily  lose  their 
way,  or  accidentally  fall  on  the  enemy — this  being  highly 
probable,  if  not  inevitable.  An  hour's  consultation  de- 
cided their  plans,  and  it  was  agreed  that  the  girl,  from 
her  intimate  knowledge  of  their  localities,  should  lead  the 
advance  a  few  steps.  Another  advantage  might  be  gained 
by  this  arrangement,  for  in  case  they  should  fall  in  with 
some  out-post,  the  girl's  knowledge  of  the  Indian  tongue, 
would,  perhaps,  enable  her  to  deceive  the  sentinel :  and 
so  the  sequel  proved,  for  scarcely  had  they  descended  one 
hundred  feet,  when  a  low  "whist"  from  the  girl,  warned 
them  of  present  danger. 


THE  RETURNED  CAPTIVE. 


ADVENTURE  OF  TWO  SCOUTS. 


295 


The  scouts  sunk  silently  to  the  earth,  where,  by  pre- 
vious agreement,  they  were  to  remain  till  another  signal 
was  given  them  by  the  girl, — whose  absence  for  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  now  began  to  excite  the  most 
serious  apprehensions.  At  length,  she  again  appeared, 
and  told  them  that  she  had  succeeded  in  removing  two 
sentinels  who  were  directly  in  their  route  to  a  point  some 
hundred  feet  distant.  The  descent  was  noiselessly  re- 
sumed— the  level  gained,  and  .the  scouts  followed  their 
intrepid  pioneer  for  half  a  mile  in  the  most  profound 
silence,  when  the  barking  of  a  small  dog,  within  a  few 
feet,  apprised  them  of  a  new  danger.  The  almost  simul- 
taneous click  of  the  scouts'  rifles  was  heard  by  the  girl, 
who  rapidly  approached  them,  and  stated  that  they  were 
now  in  the  midst  of  the  Indian  wigwams,  and  their  lives 
depended  on  the  most  profound  silence,  and  implicitly 
following  her  footsteps.  A  moment  afterwards,  the 
girl  was  accosted  by  a  squaw,  from  an  opening  in  the 
wigwam.  She  replied  in  the  Indian  language,  and  with- 
out stopping  pressed  forward. 

In  a  short  time  she  stopped  and  assured  the  scouts 
that  the  village  was  cleared  and  that  they  were  now  in 
safety.  She  knew  that  every  pass  leading  out  of  the 
prairie  was  safely  guarded  by^  Indians,  and  at  once  re- 
solved to  adopt  the  bold  adventure  of  passing  through 
the  very  centre  of  their  village  as  the  least  hazardous. 
The  result  proved  the  correctness  of  her  judgment. 

They  now  kept  a  course  for  the  Ohio,  being  guided  by 
the  Hockhocking  river — and  after  three  days'  march  and 
suffering,  the  party  arrived  at  the  block-house  in  safety. 


296 


HEROES  OF  THE  WEST. 


Their  escape  from  the  Indians,  prevented  the  contem- 
plated attack ;  and  the  rescued  girl  proved  to  be  the  sister 
of  the  intrepid  Neil  Washburn,  celebrated  in  Indian  war- 
fare as  the  renowned  scout  to  Captain  Kenton's  bloody 
Kentuckians. 


^  ^^oij^ig  jj&o  of  fi]e  itfe3i 

To  show  of  what  material  the  boys  were  made,  in  the 
great  heroic  age  of  the  west,  we  give  the  following,  which 
we  find  in  a  recent  communication  from  Major  Nye,  of 
Ohio.  The  scene  of  adventure  was  within  the  pl-esent 
limits  of  Wood  county,  Virginia. 

I  have  heard  from  Mr.  Guthrie  and  others,  that  at  Bell- 
ville  a  man  had  a  son,  quite  a  youth,  say  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  of  age,  who  had  been  used  to  firing  his  father's 

(299) 


300  HEROES  OF  THE  W  .1. 

) 

gun,  as  most  boys  did  in  those  days.  He  heard,  he  sup- 
posed, turkeys  on  or  near  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  opposite 
that  place,  and  asked  his  father  to  let  him  take  his  gun 
and  kill  one.  His  father  knowing  that  the  Indians  often 
decoyed  people  by  such  noises,  refused,  saying  it  was 
probably  an  Indian.  When  he  had  gone  to  work,  the 
boy  took  the  gun  and  paddled  his  canoe  over  the  river, 
but  had  the  precaution  to  land  some  distance  from  wher' 
he  had  heard  the  turkey  all  the  morning,  probably  from 
fear  of  scaring  the  game,  and  perhaps  a  little  afraid  of  ■ 
Indians.  The  banks  were  steep,  and  the  boy  cautiously 
advanced  to  where  he  could  see  without  being  seen. 
Watching  awhile  for  his  game,  he  happened  to  see  an 
Indian  cautiously  looking  over  a  log,  to  notice  where  the 
boy  had  landed.  The  lad  fixed  his  gun  at  rest,  watching 
the  place  where  he  had  seen  the  Indian's  head,  and  whin 
it  appeared  again,  fired,  and  the  Indian  disappeared. 
The  boy  dropped  the  gun  and  ran  for  his  canoe,  which  he 
paddled  over  the  river  as  soon  as  possible.  When  he 
reached  home,  he  said,  "  Mother,  I  have  killed  an  In- 
dian!"  and  the  mother  replied,  "No,  you  have  not." 
"Yes,  I  have,"  said  the  boy.  The  father  coming  in,  he 
made  the  same  report  to  him,  and  received  the  same  re- 
ply ;  but  he  constantly  affirmed  it  was  even  so ;  and,  as 
the  gun  was  left,  a  party  took  the  boy  over  the  river  to 
find  it,  and  show  the  place  where  he  shot  the  Indian,  and 
behold,  his  words  were  found  verified.  The  ball  had  en- 
tered the  head,  where  the  boy  had  affirmed  he  shot, 
between  the  eye  and  ear. 

THE  END. 


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